ACS Athens Ethos, Fall 2021

ETHOS • FALL 2021

Our Mission: ACS Athens is a student-centered international school, embracing American educational philosophy, principles and values. Through excellence in teaching and diverse educational experiences, ACS Athens challenges all students to realize their unique potential: academically, intellectually, socially and ethically - to thrive as responsible global citizens.

Main Number: +30 210 6393200 Reception Desk: Ext. 206, 233 Office of the President: Ext. 201 Office of Enrollment Management, Communications & Technology: Ext. 263 Admissions: Ext. 263, 251 Finance: Ext.202, 207 Business Procurement: Ext. 207 Human Resources: Ext. 204,256 Cashier: Ext. 208 Bookstore: Ext. 214 Transportation: Ext. 239 Health Office: Ext. 217 Cafeteria: Ext. 236 Academy: Ext. 222 Academy Citizenship: Ext. 404 Middle School: Ext. 261 Middle School Citizenship: Ext. 267 Elementary School: Ext. 229 Student Affairs: Ext. 226 IB/AP Programs: Ext. 247, 248 Academy/MS Library: Ext. 219, 220 ES Library: Ext. 293 Athletics: Ext. 327, 401 The Institute: Ext. 402 Optimal Learning Support Program: Ext. 237, 265 Theater: Ext. 331, 302 Security: Ext. 240 Security (After Hours): +30 210 6393555

Ethos is an annual publication showcasing the life and activity of the Institution of ACS Athens.

Publisher: ACS Athens Editor-in-Chief and Creative Director: Leda Tsoukia Managing Editor: John Papadakis Copy editing: Marina Papaioannou Contributors: ACS Athens Faculty, Staff, Students, Parents and Alumni Concept and Publication design: Leda Tsoukia

Copyright ©2021-2022 All rights reserved. No part of this magazine (text or images) may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher

ACS Athens (American Community Schools) 129 Ag.Paraskevis Street, GR 15234 Halandri Athens, Greece E: acs@acs.gr

W: acsathens.gr

T: +30 210 6393200

F: +30 210 6390051

ETHOS • FALL 2021

Letter from the Editor

3

by Leda Tsoukia

Note from the President

6

by Dr. Peggy Pelonis

Do The Sustainable Development Goals Connect To Mathematics?

10

Why are personal commitments to the UN SDGs important?

Does my child have Synaesthesia?

What does participation in a global panel teach us about the future of education?

by Ann Marie Martinou

12

by Christina Bakoyannis

What goes into the making of a memorable online experience? The Middle School students’ participation @ the Athens Science Virtual Festival through an ACS Athens Live Stream

Why is the Buddy Mentoring program important for our students and for new families joining ACS Athens?

by PTO Members

14

by Spyros Arsenikos and Christina Bakoyannis

Why Foster Curiosity and Inquiry Based Learning?

16

by Christina Rocha

Why Is Collaborative Writing Meaningful Writing?

18

How can self-reflection help students develop a growth mindset?

by Venie Gaki

by Alexandra Gregoriou, Greg Gregoriou and Michaela Gregoriou

by Effie Zografou- Elgabry

by Dora Andrikopoulos

by Eleftheria Maratou

What is it like to be a triplet at an international school?

20

Why Should Students Share Their Voice and Spread Their Passions?

by Stavi Dimas and Christina Rocha 22 Performance Based Assessments (PBA) in Middle School and Greek LA Courses. Is it possible to apply within the alignment of curriculum?

by Maria Anna Sidiropoulou 24 Why is maintaining integrity, honor and respect during the pandemic necessary?

28

by Venie Gaki and Christina Bakoyannis

How can Cooking engage KG students in learning?

by Dimitra Psoma

30 How did we create a yearbook that represents a school year impacted by COVID-19?

32

by Steven Baldino and Justine Cox

Greek History; how do some students rediscover their roots?

by Irini Rovoli

Learning Greek Virtually; Is it all Greek to me?

52 54 56

58

Why do teachers teach teachers at ACS Athens?

Discover the New Colleagues Program

by Evi Evloyias and Andromachi Fragkou

How do teachers benefit from the Action Research process?

by Middle School and Academy Faculty

60 62

Handbook Of Research On K-12 Blended And Virtual Learning Through The I²Flex Classroom Model: How can a K-12 School manage to publish a premier reference book in the middle of the Pandemic?

by Dr. Maria Avgerinou

64 What happens when students are given space to publsh creatively? How sharing their stories brings students’ learning to life

by David Nelson

66 What is the impact of media literacy and why is it significant for teenagers of the 21st century?

by Evelyn Pittas

68 How does KINONOS (ΚΟΙΝΩΝΟΣ) Promote Conscious Citizenship?

by Kosntantinos Chasiotis 70 Who might we look up to for inspiration in times of crisis?

ACS Athens Academy Resilience Award and Speaker Series

by David Nelson and Evelyn Pittas 72 Why adopt a K-12 Artificial Intelligence framework?

by Dr. Antonis Karampelas 74 How inquiry, exploration, and reflection are mirrored in the differentiated approaches of our IB Visual Arts 2021 Students’ exhibitions?

CONT 34

36

by Anastasia Papageorgiou

How does a world after COVID-19 look like?

ACS Athens Sweep International Design Challenge Awards

38

by Dr. Maria Avgerinou

How can students develop writing skills within the discipline of Arts?

by Venie Gaki

40

How can Artificial Intelligence be implemented in the curriculum?

46

by Sophia Stella Soseilos

Why is the Academy Drama class the perfect place to shape Conscious Citizens?

What Makes Us Human?

by Kathy Jasonides and Amalia Zavacopoulou

Why Forensics?

by Sofia Thanopoulou and Amalia Zavacopoulou

How can we push our personal limits?

Where to next? Graduating Class Of 2021 College Acceptances/Offers

48

How Does Storytelling Become a Way to Learn Math?

by Artemis Repouli

50

by Emma Bello

78

by Sofia Thanopoulou

by Adrianos Botsios

by Evan Paneras

76

What Mindset Will You Choose to Make a Difference in Your Life?

80 82

84

86

by Annie Angelidou

3

Letter from the Editor How Do We Ask The Right Question?

by Leda Tsoukia, Editor in Chief, ACS Athens Creative/Art Coordinator

R

ecently I came across an article titled: “Stop saying post-pandemic! For much of the world, the coronavirus is far from over.”

I realized that we have reached a point where our mindset is running forward, trying to create a calm and safe environment, even though the danger is still very close.

Words such as distress, fear, uncertainty, are part of our lives for the last few years. Crisis mode is not only part of our unexpected breaks from a normal routine; it is actually our everyday struggle, our daily rival.

The pandemic is something we would all love to leave behind. And as much as we still need to be cautious, a need to gain back our peace of mind makes us all so eager to start dreaming, to start creating something new.

There is a feeling that we are fighting a war, kneeling in front of our personal losses, but in the end, we will manage to emerge through it. Today we are on the verge of a new era wondering what the future holds for us.

Is it that the crisis we have all been through the last few years has miraculously made us think and reflect a bit deeper underneath the surface?

Has it made us rethink our mortality?

That life is not to be taken for granted, but to be celebrated in every way possible? With people we love, family, friends, colleagues, or people we just happen to meet If we have reached that point, then I say we have gained a lot!

But what does celebration mean at this point? What is the end goal, or as ancient Greeks used to call it “τέλος”, which means the highest good?

How do we succeed in finding our own path, our own selves through inquiry, how do we ask the right questions that will lead us to a more meaningful life?

Having a macro-goal is as equally important as having everyday micro-goals. Every day is an opportunity to create something new. And it all starts with a question. A question about Who?, What?, or Why? This issue of Ethos is dedicated to these questions.

Questions that help us go further, change the way we think and shape our path to reach our true self, and ultimately help to make life and living on the planet better for everyone.

■

4

12

6

Why are personal commitments to the UN SDGs important?

Note from the President

16 Why Foster Curiosity and Inquiry Based Learning?

28

Why is maintaining integrity, honor and respect during the pandemic necessary?

60

62

Why do teachers teach teachers at ACS Athens?

Discover the New Colleagues Program of ACS Athens

How do teachers benefit from the Action Research process?

74

Why adopt a K-12 Artificial Intelligence framework?

78

Why is the Academy Drama class the perfect place to shape Conscious Citizens?

ETHOS • FALL 2021

ETHOS • FALL 2021

Fear and Fractals; What do They Have to Do with Schools?

Note from President Dr. Peggy Pelonis

U

ndoubtedly the beauty of nature reigns all over the world. Lately however, it seems that nature is under attack more than ever. Both my homes, Attica and broader Greece as well as California, USA, are consumed by raging wildfires leaving many homeless and many others feeling deep sadness, anger and helplessness. Beneath all these feelings is a never-ending fear of ‘what next’ which can literally numb our senses. It is this reign of fear that our children experience either directly or vicariously through us.

Fear is experienced by all humans. Fear starts in our mind but affects our bodies. It triggers survival mechanisms; fight or flight, to help us stay safe in the face of danger. As long as we can either fight or run away (literally or in our heads) we are likely to survive and adrenaline works to fuel our motivation to be safe.

However, when we are helpless in the face of danger (can’t fight) or there is nowhere to run, fear can be debilitating; it can numb our responses, fog our judgment and generally lower both our physical and psychological immune systems.

When this process is prolonged without a solution or relief in sight (COVID, fires), the results can range from hopelessness to aggression; from depression to rage because the fear of loss, real or anticipated, is all consuming. Children are most vulnerable as their need to belong and feel safe is most important. It is from this ‘feeling’ of being safe and loved that they grow, take risks and flourish.

But it is also from this place that they are motivated to control or even ‘fix’ some part of their environment, as they grow, rather than give in to being victims of the changes.

Fractals are everywhere in nature. A fractal is a rough or fragmented geometric space that can be split into parts -or neighborhoods each of which is a reduced-size copy of the whole; it’s a never ending pattern, infinitely complex, that repeats forever. Every part of a fractal, if we zoom in or out, looks like the whole. The property is called self-similarity. Visualize the structure of a bunch of broccoli or a head of cauliflower and you’ll get the idea. Likewise think of a snowflake, tree branches, clouds and so on. The image of the fractal provides a helpful metaphor for envisioning the culture of a healthy school, in which each “part” of the institution (leadership, institutional dynamics, the teaching and learning experience, operational patterns, student leadership/initiative) is “self-similar” and reflective of the other and of the whole, in that they embody and express the fundamental values and beliefs of the learning community.

Schools, like homes, are microcosms of the world.

Nurturing a sense of belonging and safety within the school walls is important so that students can focus on learning and growing. At ACS Athens, 60+ different nationalities come together under one ‘roof ’; with a common philosophy, vision, and common values.

Considering that our school is a living organism; constantly changing, evolving and developing and considering that so many differences come together under an American philosophy of education, principles and values, it is not necessarily educating students that is the most challenging; it is continuously developing this sense of belonging and safety so that students can take advantage of the learning and can be initiators and navigators of positive change.

I envision the school as a professional learning community that models and promotes in every “part” of the institution a harmonious, meaningful and holistic approach to teaching and learning that puts the student at the center of his/her own learning and at the center of all institutional decision-making. It is a natural state from which growth is possible and potentially optimal. Yet, no matter how natural, we must continuously strive to achieve it and to maintain a balance of developing knowledge, skill and conscious citizenship, so that each part of the institution reflects the whole, much like a fractal.

7

8

Nature knows no right or wrong; it seeks balance. When we, humans, interfere with natural processes, it will find a way to restore balance. To us humans this can be devastating; fires, floods, extinction of species, introduction of new species and more.

Developing mindsets of harmonious living with the very home that provides safety, belonging, and resources for survival is the best way to ensure a balance in Nature while cultivating a balance within each individual so that both grow and flourish to support one another. This nurturing of conscious citizenship within schools develops individuals that grow to reflect the whole, much like a fractal, and can tend to a sustainable planet.

■

ETHOS • FALL 2021

10

better place to live in.

In the first Semester Part 1 Project, Grade 6 students were invited to research on their United Nations Goal and develop a mathematics project that required research, literature review, collection of data, possible action plan(s), mathematical processes(es), evaluation and reflection. Students used facts they researched to write word problems and applied their mathematical skills to solve them. They also created hypothetical data to suggest improvements to improve our environment.

Middle School adventures Do The Sustainable Development Goals Connect To Mathematics?

by Dora Andrikopoulos, Middle School Faculty

T

his year, one of my goals was to involve students in Mathematics Projects involving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Students of this age group are always eager and excited to create, develop projects, investigate and learn.

I was so impressed with the outcome of the Sustainable Development Goals Projects. Many of them were informative, well set out and outstanding.

Students continued with Part 2 of the Sustainable Development Goals Project after completing the Statistics Topic in Semester 2. They were encouraged to collect more data, develop organized frequency tables, create different graphs and plots to represent their data and to analyze this information both qualitatively and quantitatively to describe their findings.

Sample images of student work of each stage of our two projects are included in this article.

PART 1: Sustainable Development Goals Project Stages of Sustainable Development Goals Project A. Focus Question/Statement Students developed a Focus Question or Statement addressing the Sustainable Development Goal they were to research.

My intention was to inspire my students to develop a greater awareness of existing issues in our world and to help them understand how these issues can be interpreted mathematically. I wanted them to see and discover the relationships and learn how to express their findings in a mathematically meaningful way.

I began to implement the idea of the Sustainable Development Goals that our Grade 6 students had already begun to work with during our United Nations Day in the Middle School. The idea inspired me as it aligns with the ACS Athens Vision and our school goals. We want our students to be aware and sensitive to the world around us.

Referring to our ACS Athens Learner Profile, I decided that this would touch on all characteristics we aim to develop and cultivate in our students. We aim to cultivate knowledgeable thinkers, inquirers, excellent communicators, open-minded, principled and caring human beings. We strive to develop balanced young adults who are ongoing reflective practitioners, who can make responsible decisions to make our world a

B. Literature Review Students referred to at least 3 different sources of information to collect current existing data of their focus statement. Students cited their sources.

ETHOS • FALL 2021

C. Data Collection Students created organized tables of collected data from their research.

PART 2 Statistics Project: Sustainable Development Goals

D. Action Plan(s) Students wrote about possible actions that one could take to improve the current situation.

B. Students made different types of graphs and plots to represent their data.

E. Mathematical Process(es) Students created their own word problems based on their researched facts. They solved their created problems, showing all mathematical processes, applying their understanding of mathematical concepts. Students also provided hypothetical data to create problems with solutions to suggest possible solutions to the existing world issues.

A. Students collected more data through research, and also organized their data into frequency tables.

C. Using their data and graphs, the data was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively.

Students used Measures of Central Tendency to describe their findings.

D. Students evaluated their findings and reflected on their experience throughout the projects.

F. Students analyzed and evaluated their work through a series of questions.

They also wrote reflections on a Discussion Forum on Moodle.

The Sustainable Development Goals Projects gave students the opportunity to research, explore, demonstrate and make sense of what they discovered. It is yet one more of the numerous examples of how we develop awareness and cultivate mindsets in our students, helping them become architects of their own learning.

■

ETHOS • FALL 2021

future, be the change. Help to end poverty, reduce inequalities and to tackle climate change. Together we can transform the world” (Fig. 4).

Included are some highlights from students’ personal commitments, where they also aim to inform the community that every single action counts and we are all part of the change.

Goal 2: Zero Hunger “My action is to not waste any food. According to studies, 37% of citizens in Greece are wasting food at least 1-2 times a month.”

Goal 4: Quality Education “I chose teaching my grandparents technology as they need help and I have the skills needed. My grandparents will not feel left out of the modern technological world.”

Why Are Personal Commitments To The UN SDGs Important?

by Christina Bakoyannis, Middle School Faculty and UN Day Advisor

O

n October 24th every year, Middle School students commemorate the work of the United Nations and explore a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal within their advisory. The aim is for students to understand the targets and importance of the Global Goal assigned to them and then commit to take action.

This year, due to COVID restrictions, actions in our community were limited, so instead students were encouraged to commit to a personal action that supports their Global Goal. Through the Moodle shell (Fig. 1) created, students were able to investigate their assigned goal and then use the discussion forum to post and share with other students their commitment (Fig. 2). Students wrote about the reason for choosing their action and how this action will make a difference.

Students were able to pick an action that they can incorporate in their daily lives from the “170 daily actions to transform our world”, a brochure from the perception change project at the United Nations Office in Geneva (Fig. 3). Our actions now affect the future and we can all be responsible to be part of the change.

The message from the brochure was also posted on Moodle and guided the process: “If you care about the

Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation “I chose to turn off the tap when it is not necessary.

I chose this goal because it is easy to start, and it is something I am doing already, but I can do more. Water is a limited resource on Earth.”

Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy “Cover the pan with a lid. It reduces the amount of energy required to boil water by 75%. I picked it because I love cooking and when people cook they do not always put the lid on. It will use less energy as the water will boil faster.”

Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities “The action I chose is to sponsor a child so they can go to school. I picked this action because it improves the life of the less fortunate.”

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities “The action that I chose was the use of public transportation, city bikes and other modes of environmentally friendly transportation. It is important to reduce pollution and to keep our city’s air clean.”

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production “Actions”: Use you own reusable bag when shopping instead of using plastic shopping bags ◉ Dry your hair naturally when wet, instead of using drying machines to avoid using energy ◉ Take short showers instead of long baths, to not waste water Goal 13: Climate Action “I will close the lights every time I go past a room, class or any other kind of room.”

■

13

The Middle School UN Day Moodle shell

The message from the “170 daily actions to transform our world” brochure which was also posted on the Moodle shell

Moodle resources for every UN SDG. Each advisory focuses on one UN SDG

The brochure “170 daily actions to transform our world” from the UNOG and the perception change project

14

includes participation of academia, research, educational institutions and schools.

The three middle school workshops were: ◉ Microscopic monsters (Fig. 1) ◉ Experience the chemistry feeling (Fig. 2) ◉ Food Mythbusters (Fig. 3)

Fig.1

What Goes Into The Making Of A Memorable Online Experience?

The Middle School students’ participation @ the Athens Science Virtual Festival through an ACS Athens Live Stream

Fig.2

by Spyros Arsenikos and Christina Bakoyannis, Middle School Faculty

T

he eye-opening experience of looking at slides under a digital microscope, to experiencing the wonders of chemistry at home, to measuring calories using a can, were some of the highlights from the Athens Science Festival experience that our middle school students took part in on March 29th, 2021.

This year’s Athens Science Virtual Festival was titled “An Era of Heroes” and took place online March 27-29, 2021. The Athens Science Festival is one of the largest festivals in Greece that is organized every year and

Fig.3

ETHOS • FALL 2021

Thirty-eight middle school students participated, contributing either by being a narrator, script writer or experimenter. Students met with their mentors in numerous online meetings in order to plan, practice, perform and record their assigned experiments. On the day of the event, a combination of live narration and recorded videos of the experiments was used. The outcome was an astonishing 1½ hour presentation.

The live streamed event can be found on the ACS Athens YouTube channel.

The student reflections below bring forth some important aspects of what makes something memorable, while Figures 5-7 give us a glimpse of the presentations. As mentors during this process, we were filled with joy while reading these reflections (Fig. 4). We are looking forward to developing students’ participation again next year, as 97% stated they will certainly do it again, along with enthusiastic feedback such as, “I truly loved it. It was a lot of fun.” and “I had an amazing time!”

Student reflections Building our love for science: “I felt a sense of inclusion in something special when I entered. I had a fun time with a few classmates and friends who all had one thing in common, the love for science. I got to write what I am so gratefully passionate about in this beautiful place. And the streaming was an experience that made me feel recognised, in a more global spotlight than usual.”

Science can change the lockdown routine: “I enjoyed that I was part of the science festival. It made me feel like I was there in the physical festival.

I liked the experience and it took me out of my usual lockdown routine for once.”

Student participants: Grade 6: Charalampos Antypas, Xinzhou Chen, Eric Costopoulos, Tamsin Davison, Jovan Habib, Lyu Haoming, Kalliopi Iliadaki, George Karatzas, Ellie Koutsolioutsou, Serafim Kulukundis, Alex Macris, Nefeli Martsaki, Konstantinos Panagiotakos, Selin Ucan, Nefeli Venetsanou Grade 7: Ioannis Apostolopoulos, Paschalis Bala, Vasiliki Drakou, Konstantinos Drakoulis, Tasos Giannakitsas, Elly Gerontikos, Dimitri Hatzikos, Vasileia Lalaki, Phaedra Macdonald, Philippos Mavroleon, Vasiliki Mihailidi, Nora Myers, Satakshi Sharma, Eirini Sidereas, Alexia Terezaki, Margarita Vryoni, Kai Yuet Zhang Grade 8: Angelos Kollilekas, Iliana Lyssaios, Alexandros Maheras, Leticia Malomyti-Markou, Fanny Mikropandremenou, Elena Xanthopoulou ■

Building our community: “I loved this whole experience. I felt a part of a community that shares the same interests as I do. I also felt recognised as I entered a youtube livestream for the first time.”

“I had goosebumps when watching and it was quite emotional watching other classmates and being part of a team.”

Script writers, narrators and experimenters weave together the experience:

Teacher mentors sharing their enthusiasm for science

“I was an experimenter and I loved doing the experiments. They were very fun but very impressive and fascinating at the same time. I really enjoyed watching my video on youtube while the narrators explained what had happened.”

“As a script writer I really enjoyed writing the script and seeing it live, I think it was a wonderful project.”

Love and learning go together: “From putting together my script, to practicing, to actually narrating live on that day, everything was super enjoyable! I really love science and learning new things, and this was definitely a really great experience. Plus, I got some takeaways such as learning how to use Zoom and practicing how to speak in front of an audience.”

Alex performs his yeast experiment at home while Isabella narrates the process for the Microscopic Monsters Workshop

ETHOS • FALL 2021

a step closer to intercultural awareness and communicative competence. The ability to ask questions allows students to find comfort in the uncertainty of their everyday lives as they build their future.

It is so important, that we as educators have the capacity to tap into the incredible curiosity and passion that our students bring with them to the classroom, and recognize that amazing possibilities are thus inevitable. In order for learning, discussion, inquiry, collaboration and effective communication to take place between languages, we need to first establish a culture of listening to one another, free of judgment or ridicule, so that students can engage in voicing their own curiosities and be given the space to learn out loud in a safe environment.

Why Foster Curiosity And Inquiry Based Learning?

by Christina Rocha, Middle School Faculty

S

ocrates, E.E.Cummings, Einstein, Picasso, Marie Curie, Steve Jobs…what do these leading innovators and creative minds of all time have in common? They all understood that great ideas, products and companies all started from a question, or a set of questions. Education is no exception. Students of today are the leaders of tomorrow. It is therefore critical that students are able to make sense of the instant access information they are bombarded with daily, to ask good questions as they wonder and reflect, and learn to navigate a globalized world where change is the only constant. It is through questioning and learning from their inquiries that students are able to harness their power of opportunities, and better understand the way the world works. Therefore, inquiry based learning (IBL) is THE way to change our educational landscape.

It is imperative to recognize, that when students think of questions themselves, it is through this process of their own inquiry that leads to powerful authenticity and empowerment, transforming their learning into something meaningful and relevant. Inquiry gives students agency over their learning, opportunities to be architect’s of their own life-long learning, giving them the tools to combat pressing issues in our rapidly changing world. Curiosity allows students to wonder about the people, languages and cultures they come in contact with and read about, bringing them

IBL is a process where students are engaged in their own learning, formulate essential questions, explore and investigate, and then build new understandings, relevant meanings and knowledge. That new knowledge then serves to answer those essential questions, creatively develop a solution and problem solve, or to support a different perspective or point of view. The new knowledge is then shared, and when questions and ideas are shared, great things begin to evolve. Inquiry brings the curriculum of life into the curriculum of school. As teachers embrace student questions, cultivating their voices and choices, and recognize these questions as the true seeds of learning, incredible things happen.

As we cultivate conscious global citizens who are media literate and mindful of artificial intelligences, keeping up with 21st century skills, we must always have in mind to foster a culture that celebrates and encourages curiosity. We must dare to challenge our students, evoking real and essential questions. How about instead of asking a student the ever so popular question: “What is your favorite class?”, instead we ask “In which class do you ask the most questions?” It is only appropriate therefore to end here with a question to you, the reader…what is your question? What do you wonder about? And more importantly, what are you going to do about it?

■

17

18

Why Is Collaborative Writing Meaningful Writing?

by Eleftheria Maratou, Middle School Faculty

E

ngaged students and meaningful writing are essential to fostering education, especially during online learning. This year, students had many questions about what was happening in their community and the world around them. Through carefully chosen texts, which sparked deep thinking and reflection, we discussed resilience and perseverance, and adapting to changes. The 6th graders analyzed characters following the protagonist’s journey through all kinds of conflicts and situations. Poetry played an integral role for my students to express a range of emotions. It evoked an awareness of experiences that affected them not only personally, but as a community of learners and young people whose actions impact others. We studied figurative language and how to use it to enhance writing. Students had the opportunity to see the power of words. They experimented with poetry and wrote their own poems. Their response to poetry was that of enthusiasm.

This year, I added to the curriculum poems by a young poet who I felt could be a role model for the students, Amanda Gorman, National Youth Poet Laureate.

During the asynchronous session, students learned about her, social justice, and her poetry in reference to social issues. They watched her recite poems, which elicited questions accompanying asynchronous activity. In class, we analyzed her poem “The Hill We Climb”, which together we realized that most of

the powerful lines of her poem(s) could apply to any country and people. In groups, the students looked at their notes, the vocabulary, and the lines from her poems which stood out to them and compared the similarities and differences amongst each other. The discussions were productive and thoughtful, sparking ideas. The culminating activity for our poetry unit was when the students collaborated in groups to create their own poems on social issues. Working in breakout rooms was challenging for teachers and students, but the task was broken down into steps, and they worked on their poems over several sessions. At the end of the day’s lessons, I saw my students being on task and passionate about expressing their world views. For these poems, all students had something to contribute. They took words they found powerful from Amanda Gorman’s poems and reframed them to create new meaning for their own group poems.

Our students are familiar with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and some chose those goals as a theme for their poems about our society and the world around us.

When I entered the breakout rooms, I heard students who were collaborating productively, by communicating and sharing writing on their google slides. They were problem-solving, respectfully compromising and helping each other, peer editing, and constructively criticizing. They did not want to stop when the session was over. Actually, a remark I heard in multiple groups was how at first it seemed difficult, but when one student started a phrase or line, the others in the group continued or added to it, and everything fell into place, and ideas emerged. Studnents reviewed and revised their poems and self-assessed on the process of collaborating and the guidelines they had to follow to create the poem. The poems created were impactful and moving as my students expressed their passionate feelings in writing about what they wanted to say to the world. What a glorious feeling it was to see this type of motivation and excitement of students when crafting their writing during online learning!

■

ETHOS • FALL 2021

ETHOS • FALL 2021

out forcing them to reflect, without making them feel guilty for NOT meeting expectations?

Since we were discussing the end of the Mycenaean civilization and the Trojan War, the answer came from the Classics…..it was Homer and Ulysses who would give me the solution! I asked students to write an essay about their Ithaca, their destination...They were provided with the following prompt: Ulysses had a goal; to return to Ithaca. On the journey back to Ithaca, there were a lot of temptations; there were times when he succumbed (he gave in) to those temptations, and other times when he resisted, but in the end he reached his goal.

What is your goal / are your goals for the end of the year? (Where are your pebbles and your note? Find them ….)

How Can Self-Reflection Help Students Develop A Growth Mindset?

by Venie Gaki, ESL/EFL Faculty

T

he first year of the pandemic was a challenging year; both teachers and students had to switch to virtual school overnight! And we did it and we pulled through! The second year was more difficult, though...despite the fact that we ALL knew what to do and how to deal with it or what to expect, it proved to be an exhausting year, mainly for students. At some point they had lost their orientation….

When we first came to class in September, I gave each of my students two pebbles; one pebble represented their personal goal, and the other one their academic goal. They wrote their goals down on paper and kept them with those two pebbles somewhere safe. They were advised to try and reach for those two pebbles when they felt they were digressing from their goals...

It was at the beginning of February when many of my students started to feel disoriented, distracted and tired; it seemed as if they had lost hope and purpose.

They were there, for every online class, but not fully present….from the other end of the screen, I could sense a feeling of emptiness. Some of my students were feeling desolate; they could not retain simple instructions or information mentioned in the previous lesson. They were doing things in a transactional manner, with no purpose, lifelessly….But how could I ask a Social Studies class to deeply contemplate and change their mindset implicitly and seamlessly, with-

Are there any temptations that you feel might drift you away from your goal(s)? Which are these temptations? What can you do to remain faithful to your goals?

Write about 200 words. Start with the following topic sentence: “Ulysses had a goal; to return to Ithaca. My goal, my Ithaca is to.....by the end of this year….” (continue) I received 17 essays and they were all so honestly, so frankly written….Most of the students’ academic goal was to excel as students or try and do the best they could to improve their skills in English. Their personal goal was to make more friends, as this was a group of students who were new to ACS and had not had the time to become close to their classmates.

The most interesting finding was that all of the students admitted that it was very difficult for them to stay focused during class because they felt distracted from all the tabs they had on. Games, Instagram, Youtube videos, Tik-Tok, a pot-pouri of social media tools and applications were their “Sirens”, their “Laestrygonians” and their “Cyclops”.... Gaming and funny videos were very tempting to abstain from, singing a song that was so alluring, that they would not care about what the teacher was saying regarding the end of the Bronze Age, the cells in science or mathematical equations …. The pile of work they had to do since they had not met many of the deadlines was their Cyclops and the guilt they had for failing to be consistent was their Laestygonians. And then, it was the “angry Poseidon” they had to confront, the frustrated parent and the disappointed teacher…..Paying attention to class, staying productive and motivated, keeping up with assignments were the biggest challenges students had to deal with.

However, they all knew what they had to do; they all suggested a daily plan that would help them with time management and everyday obligations.

21

“...But now, I know better what my priorities are, and I always try to finish what I have to do first before I enjoy other things. That way, I can enjoy my life 100% without feeling guilty.”

What is worth mentioning, is the change of mindset that the majority of the students demonstrated; they became more active participants in online learning, asking questions, contributing to constructive discussions carried out in class, meeting deadlines, but most importantly demonstrating effort and interest in their learning. The majority of the students became more resilient and showed immense grit; they did not feel it was vain to do 2nd and 3rd drafts of written tasks; they did not wince, they did not complain….It was a pleasure teaching this group of students this year!

EFL 2 Social Studies Class, you guys, rock! Keep it up!

Spread your wings and fly to your Ithaca….

■

These are two of the students’ essays : My Ithaca- My Goals, by Aramaki Shun Ulysses had a goal; to return to Ithaca. My goal, my Ithaca is to get all As (better than A-) in the gradebook for this year.

The reason why I set this as a goal of the year is because I noticed in the 1st quarter that if I work hard, I can get better grades. I got As for all the classes in the 2nd quarter, so I will keep going. I’m not saying I want all As just to be proud. I just regard grades as the result of my effort. Still, I feel happy when I get good grades because they are proof that I learned a lot of new things. And I believe I can achieve that if I do my best.

There are too many temptations that I feel might drift me away from my goal. Of course, I love playing video games, communicating with my friends on social media and watching YouTube, so I could spend all day doing these things. I have experienced those temptations like 10,000 times.

Actually I got bad scores when I did those things although my parents told me to do my tasks first.

But now, I know better what my priorities are, and I always try to finish what I have to do first before I enjoy other things.

That way, I can enjoy 100% without feeling guilty.

For these reasons, I will keep going, keep doing my best.

This is my Ithaca for this year.

Ithaca, by C.P. Cavafy Translated by Edmund Keeley As you set out for Ithaka hope your road is a long one, full of adventure, full of discovery.

Laistrygonians, Cyclops, angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them: you’ll never find things like that on your way as long as you keep your thoughts raised high, as long as a rare excitement stirs your spirit and your body.

Laistrygonians, Cyclops, wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them unless you bring them along inside your soul, unless your soul sets them up in front of you.

Hope your road is a long one.

May there be many summer mornings when, with what pleasure, what joy, you enter harbors you’re seeing for the first time; may you stop at Phoenician trading stations to buy fine things, mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony, sensual perfume of every kind— as many sensual perfumes as you can; and may you visit many Egyptian cities to learn and go on learning from their scholars.

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.

Arriving there is what you’re destined for.

But don’t hurry the journey at all.

Better if it lasts for years, so you’re old by the time you reach the island, wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way, not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.

Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.

Without her you wouldn't have set out.

She has nothing left to give you now.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.

Wise as you will have become, so full of experience, you’ll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.

My Ithaca, by Amit Pinto

My goal,my Ithaca for this year is to break my record at a 60- meter run; my record right now is 8.70 seconds and I want to make it 8.50 seconds , but also to get good grades by the end of this year.

The temptation I will most likely come across is playing games because I like to play games and I’m a little lazy but the world is also trying to sabotage my goal, because what is going on right now in the world is crazy! I can’t go outside and practice running.

What I plan to do in order to stay on track with my goal is that I will probably have my own limited time playing on the computer and I will join a running club to practice more on my running. As soon as we can go outside I will practice more. What I will do to get good grades by the end of the year is to listen carefully in class and understand the material that we are learning and I will try my best to give homework on time, because last year I didn’t submit ALL homework on time.

So I have decided to remain faithful to my goals because I want to be a good student and I am very good at running so I want to develop my skill to become even better.

22

The Ted-Eders from 6th - 10th grade explored a variety of questions and ideas which led them to identify their passions and share them with our school audience.

Ideas ranged from athletics and perseverance, to goal setting, politics, language evolution, food, the power of failure and making mistakes, over-consumption, loss, normalization, technology, and even film music.

“When you start it, it’s like a giant mountain. When you have time to think again, you are already done.”

(Kai Yuet Zhang, 7th grade) “I understood the importance of practice… it leads to the overcoming of fear.” (Stelio Martzoukos, 9th grade)

Why Should Students Share Their Voice And Spread Their Passions?

by Stavi Dimas, Elementary School Faculty and Christina Rocha, Middle School Faculty

T

he Academy and Middle school Ted-Ed students showcased their continued evolution as architects of their own learning at their final live TedEd virtual event. They showed poise, effective communicative skills, and powerful images to accompany their talks. Through collaboration and discovery and exploration of their curiosities and passions they fueled their journey towards an amazing final Ted-Ed event. Endless hard work went into this successful event, as even during the lockdown, students met with their advisors, mentors and the Writing Studio continuously, exemplifying true resilience.

Lern more about our story from the students’ point of view: “One thing I learned from being part of the Ted-ed Club was that my voice has power. I learned that if we love something and we believe it can help other people too, then our voice is powerful and it matters.

We should never doubt our voice, opinions and most importantly our journey”. (Eva Karagkou, 9th grade) “I learned that we should not be afraid to share our voice”. (Vasileia Lalaki, 7th grade)

From start to finish, learning to formulate a successful talk is not an easy task. Students learned not to give up in the face of adversity, showing perseverance and fortitude. In order to reach the final stage of delivering a talk, they had to engage in 14 different explorations. The steps ranged from identifying their passions, to brainstorming, story arcs, writing their own scripts, and finally practicing for their final presentation.

“This club was more than a learning experience and through it I improved my public speaking, feedback, and confidence.” (Daphne Raptis, 6th grade) Through the process, students learned and practiced a variety of 21st century competency skills: curiosity, creativity, cultural understanding, effective listening, communication and the art of giving and receiving feedback. Finally, students reflected on their experiences from the year and provided the following insights: “Ted-ed is a club that values inner growth and outer spreading.” (Vasileia Lalaki, 7th grade) “For the incoming members I would tell them that they will enter an experience that they will always remember. An experience in which you explore more about yourself and your powerful voice that can create change.” (Valia Patrikiou, 10th grade) As we can see from the students’ reflections, they are building awareness, interconnectivity and relationships within meaningful communities. The core purpose of Ted-Ed is to provide an experience for students where they collectively and individually cultivate their voice and choice. This year, as an extension of Ted-Ed, the Academy students had the unique opportunity to participate in an ongoing Erasmus international exchange project titled: Echoes from the Future. It focuses on the UN SDG 2030 goals to which the ACS Athens Conscious Citizenship objectives are aligned.

Overall, students enjoyed participating in this Erasmus exchange, as they were able to meet fellow international Ted-Eders, contributing to their intercultural awareness and competence.

■

ETHOS • FALL 2021

ETHOS • FALL 2021

ed to raise their engagement and was welcomed by the majority. Additionally, there was a need to renew the bank of assessments, especially during virtual learning, where meaningful projects would maintain commitment to learning, by also raising the levels of empathy and student collaboration. Lastly, it empowered the student-teacher and content presences as per the Community of Inquiry Model (Garrison et al, 2001) and supported the i²Flex teaching methodology (Avgerinou et al, 2016) as applied in the Institution.

We briefly share our experience in applying the PBA within the alignment of Scopes and Sequences in the Greek LA Courses in Middle School sharing details of the indicative projects that took place (Appendix 1).

Example A: How was healthy diet awareness raised in Greek LA 6 students?

Performance Based Assessments (PBA) in Middle School and Greek LA Courses.

Is It Possible To Apply Within The Alignment Of Curriculum?

Project title: Creative Negotiation Script, “A teenager with increased nutritional needs visits a health counselor with his family; however, he has unhealthy eating habits. Through your dialogues and creative script, discuss the importance of the whole family changing eating habits. Develop a weekly healthy eating plan (Fig.1) for the teenager by suggesting dietary choices (fig.2). Put together a weekly healthy eating plan (fig.

1) for the teenager by suggesting nutritional choices (fig. 2).

Figure 1: Example of weekly diet

by Maria Anna Sidiropoulou, Greek Language and Literature Faculty

I

f you are a language teacher experiencing the pandemic, then you probably have applied different assessment methods to determine whether the concepts taught actually meant something to the students; however, how confident can one feel that results suffice to guarantee clear understanding and application of the skills required by a LA Course?

The reason that PBA was chosen is because it allows the application of knowledge and certain skills through authentic learning, while also meeting higher-order thinking skills as per Bloom’s taxonomy. This method is used so as to complete the learning process (Chun, 2010) on the basis of detailed criteria of assessment and rubrics. When this type of assessment was introduced, a wide range of applications appeared as possible solutions to our needs. Granted that students enjoy taking over real roles in debates and creative scenarios, the introduction of such tasks was expect-

Figure 2: Snacks to support the daily healthy diet

Why this Project? It combines aspects of the ACS Athens learners’ profile: ‘Knowledgeable and Reflective’, since the students, in order to complete the script, are involved in systematic reflection and exploration of the subject “Nutrition”, i.e. childhood obesity, health education programs for young people and interviews, global food problem, Covid19 and impact on environment and eating habits, Mediterranean nutrition and Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, ‘Communicative’ is

25

also addressed since it exhausts the communication needs of the language lesson, since students’ opinions are negotiated and involved in an informal debate, increasing the level of empathy and manoeuvring to achieve effective persuasion. Moreover, it incorporates the concerns with regard to healthy nutrition, in relation to the UN Sustainable Development Goal (Good Health) and the improvement of health in the Western world, along with the diversity in ability of each country to cope with the Covid-19 implications.

Students’ Roles: parents, teenager and nutritionist Duration of Project: 3 weeks for completing the script Steps: a. Causes and consequences of childhood obesity the role of sugar b. Basic steps of research projects c. Value of programs supporting healthy eating d. Nutrition and Alzheimer’s disease. Study of interview structure e. Food shortage and consequences f. The effect of Covid-19 on poaching in Africa. Impact on the environment and man g. Creative script. Drafts and teacher’s feedback applied before final submission Example B: How the Greek LA 7 students defended Alexandros Delmouzos as innocent for corrupting girls in Volos School?

Project title: Delmouzos’ trial, leader of progressive reforms for the girl’s education in Greece: A corrupt reformer or an innocent progressive educator?

Why Delmouzos? To underline his contribution to educational dimoticism, a movement that acquired a highly reformatory character, so as to remedy the problems in Greek education; to assess his reforms and examine the indictment and how students could overturn or support it. The Delmouzos case associates the middle-class’ effort to claim the abolition of katharevousa and promote vernacular Greek as the formal language in schools (fig. 3), in order to prevent students from quitting school and fight against illiteracy.

Students’ Roles: Delmouzos, advocates and witnesses for and against him, performed in BigBlueButton sessions.

Why this Project? It combines different components of the Courses and aspects of the ACS Athens learners’ profile and the UN SDG’s, Education & Gender Equality, thus entailing exploration and reflection over concepts such as equity in education – educational reforms – justice and reflection over own performance (Knowledgeable – Reflective), creative communication – respectful negotiation and defending of ideas (Communicative – Risk-taker). It functioned as a closure of activities to complete the Language Unit 2 “School life” with extension of historical dimensions of educational reforms and changes in American and Greek educational systems. It also incorporated the experience of the Debate Club held in the past years.

Duration of Project: 7 weeks, the last of which was the final Performance of the Trials Steps: Lesson planning (Appendix 1) supported the following steps: a. Oral and written commentaries of teaching profiles/ the examples of Ron Clark and Nikos Kazantzakis’ educators Research, reflection and written commentary over Ron Clark’s principles b. Analysis of articles and adapted articles with regards to Delmouzos and Volos School Formative quiz on Delmouzos’ bio and work individual student research c. Two drafts of arguments and pair/ group work, each one accompanied by peer and teacher’s feedback

improvements of drafts teacher’s feedback d. Improvements of drafts

Performance of Trial

Example C: How did the Greek LA 8 students assess Heraclius’ attempt to complete his military reforms with the aid of the Church?

Project title: Heraclius is in his chamber and converses with the Minister of Defense and Patriarch Sergius.

The minister claims that the army will not be able to withstand the Persian attacks for many more years and that immediate reforms are needed to remedy the situation. Write a reflective dialogue, where Heraclius’ thoughts are presented, as well as his attempt to persuade the Patriarch to financially support the State in reorganizing the army.

Why Heraclius? His contribution to the preservation of Byzantine power and whether the title “general-emperor” was correctly ascribed to him was assessed.

Fig 3: Introduction of speech by the accuser

Students’ Roles: Heraclius, Minister of Defense, Patriarch Sergius (fig.4)

26

c. Well-structured rubrics, which include a spectrum of different skills as a prerequisite in regards to a LA Course, are essential in supporting the process. Thus, PBA could be applied as an activity embracing fully the diverse activity choices in order to complete a Unit.

Fig.4: Students’ role. The first student wore a Cross and tried to imitate the black robe to resemble the Patriarch Sergios

Why this Project? One of the History Component’s targets in order to support the systematic association of students with written word, was to evaluate the work of Byzantine emperors. Having completed analogous activities and the comparison between Constantine and Justinian, the involvement of students in a creative negotiation dialogue emerged as an interesting option. It contributed towards knowledge expansion, the improvement of the critical and reflective approach on the topic, and pleasantly renewed the involvement in teamwork amidst virtual learning.

It also supported the creative production of scripts and the negotiation of views and increased the level of awareness with regards to the roles undertaken by students and meeting the Knowledgeable-Reflective-Communicative dimensions of the ACS Athens learner’s profile.

d. Familiarization with PBA is appealing to young learners, but training on objectivity in reflection sheets is an issue that should be addressed with caution. e. Social competence is welcomed with considerable student acclamation.

Worked well

Areas of Growth

Objectives

-student interest & interaction - syllabus coverage & alignment within the levels of courses - SDG’s & school learner’s profile -process assessment

- application of integrity in peer feedback by younger learners -objectivity of answers in student reflection sheets by younger learners

Writing process

- application of skills improvement of writing process - creative writing -detailed criteria & rubrics

-monitoring writing process timeconsuming especially in virtual learning

Community of Inquiry Presences (CoI)

-teacher as facilitator, moderator - student interaction

-student/ content presence depends on process monitoring

Duration of Project: 4 weeks Steps: a. After completing the topic “Nika Riots” and the News Correspondent activity, critical approach towards analogous sources and multimodal texts with regards to Heraclius b. Repeated classroom discussions, recording of conclusions and utilization of Web-based, before/ after class (WB-bc/ac) activities using Moodle features: Moodle Page, Forum c. Production of written word on the topic “Why Themata constitute an innovative and efficient reform by Heraclius” and utilization of Flipgrid.

Assessment of work d. Two drafts of Creative Script according to the Criteria of assessment and Rubrics and peer/ teacher’s feedback Refection sheets e. Performance and recording of Script To conclude: We report the results of the PBA implementation and would like to stress the following points: a. To accomplish real-life authentic tasks PBA employs a combination of productive skills, we must include some traditional tasks that would be suitable for a language syllabus, such as problem-solving, writing, role-playing. b. To achieve syllabus coverage it is time-consuming for both students and teachers and, thus, often requires fewer learning goals.

ETHOS • FALL 2021

APPENDIX Lesson planning details:

Example A

Example B

Example C

Topic of PBA

Nutrition

Delmouzos Trial

Heraclius

Writing and performance acquisition goals

-Creative Scenario/ Dialogue: Weekly balanced diet schedule

- Creative Scenario: Defend or accuse Delmouzos

-Creative & reflective dialogue

-Critical evaluation of articles and adapted articles

-Critical evaluation of reforms

-Argumentative writing and structure of arguments -Integration of Course subjects - Establishment of criteria and scoring rubrics Learning strategies

-Reciprocal questioning -Adapted articles and euronews.gr video commentaries

-Individual student research -Debate & the devil’s advocate approach -Creative writing -Peer assessment Classroom format

-Individual/pair-group work -BBB breakout rooms

Communication form

-Synchronous/ -Asynchronous

Learning venue

BBB sessions

CoI Presences/ Moodle/ media tools:

- Shared notes/ chat/ google doc-ppt - Pages -Gmeets

Teacher’s role Other Activities involve

Facilitator/moderator/ tutor -Class discussion -Peer assessment

References Avgerinou, M. D., & Gialamas, S. P. (2016). The i2Flex Method References Avgerinou, M. D., & Gialamas, S. P. (2016). The i2Flex Methodology: Definition, Praxis, and Conditions for Success. In Revolutionizing K-12 Blended learning through the i²Flex Classroom Model (pp. 135-159). IGI Global.

Chun, M. (2010). Taking teaching to (performance) task: Linking pedagogical and assessment practices.

Change: The magazine of higher learning, 42(2), 22-29.

Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2001). Critical thinking, cognitive presence, and computer conferencing in distance education.

American Journal of distance education, 15(1), 7-23.

ETHOS • FALL 2021

tions and implementing ideas and projects that will have to do with the well-being of peers.

In the Honor Code Club we believe that when passionate, intelligent, and proactive kids and teens gather and work together, things can and will change. Our dream is to spread kindness and deliver the message to the whole Middle School that mutual respect is the key to a healthy teenage and adult life in the future.

Why Is Maintaining Integrity, Honor And Respect During The Pandemic Necessary?

by Venie Gaki and Christina Bakoyannis, Members of the Honor Code Club & Advisors

T

he Honor Code Club is a Middle School Club that helps children build character and demonstrate cooperation by working with others on a variety of projects. The Honor Code Club promotes values and virtues like courtesy, resilience, respect and concern for others, by working closely with charity organiza-

Despite this year’s difficulties and challenges, the Honor Code Club was very active indeed! Among the many wonderful projects our members were involved in, the most ambitious project of all was when the Middle School students participated in a survey and watched a presentation related to the use of social media and the increase of cyber-bullying during the pandemic. Both the survey and the presentation were created by the Honor Code Club members after thorough research. Sofia Floriou, Alexia Terezaki, Tanya Omer, Hadi Al- Saedi and Selin Ucan conducted thorough research and created a presentation that all Middle School students watched during an Advisory Class in March. Through this presentation, the aforementioned students gave further insight into several areas that pertain to the extensive use of social media. They explained the reasons why adolescents are vulnerable to social media addiction and they discovered that, during the pandemic, when adolescents were forced to sit in front of a screen practically all day, the use of social media was increased by 72% and posting by 43%; online gaming showed an increase of 40%, and sadly, cyberbullying, an alarming increase of 70%!

The presentation was one that any professional would envy! The students raised awareness regarding cyberbullying; they clarified the responsibilities of the victim and the bystander, but they also did research on the laws that exist in various countries against online harassment. The students provided ideas and suggestions about what to do in order to neither be intimidated by the use of social media nor naive or gullible when using them. However, the Honor Code Club did not stop there...Xin Yang Chen, Vasiliki Drakou, Platon Georgopoulos, Luca Grubacic, Nikola Koutsikou

29

and Avra Petrou designed a survey that was taken by 158 Middle Schoolers. They wanted to see if our ACS Middle School student body was aware of issues such as cyberbullying or if they knew who to contact in case they witnessed such an incident or in case that they were victims of cyberbullying. They wanted to see if they knew about the facets of cyberbullying or if they were aware of the fact that there are anti-bullying online tools that protect young people. The last part of the survey was the most interesting of all the four parts; the students were asked about what they still wonder about. It is interesting to note that despite the fact that the students were happy with the presentation and the survey, there are still questions of great concern that stand out :

“I wonder why people don’t seek help”

“Why do people have to bully others? Why do they wish to make others feel insecure?”

ACS Students are doing “the right thing when no one is watching”! Be the change and inspire others to do the same!

“Is it ever going to stop?”

“Can we start an anti-bullying club where we help kids that have been bullied?”

“I wonder if we are making a big deal out of this…”

“Can we discover who the online bully is?”

“Why does school have to deal with it?”

Well, it looks like we still have a lot of work to do….. but we are committed to answering all of the questions next year. Those of you wish to be part of a great cause, join us!

We have a dream, and it is more than just a dream, it is a plan; a plan that is becoming a reality…

■

ETHOS • FALL 2021

learning objective. This innovative and flexible method of learning and teaching at ACS Athens is what allows our graduates to enter society as creative indivoduals who find learning content in every part of their everyday lives.

■

Elementary adventures How Can Cooking Engage KG Students In Learning?

by Dimitra Psoma, Elementary School Faculty

T

he state of the lockdown during the Covid-19 Pandemic was severe in terms of feeling lonely and isolated, but in some cases it became the cornerstone to be more creative and think outside the box. Teaching very young learners, such as Kindergarten students, demands a lot of effort in being innovative. Why? Because these little minds have a big imagination and seek new challenges all the time.

Thus, this was the reason why after teaching the Greek Alphabet to students, coloring it and discussed the phonetics (sound of each letter), I introduced a recipe to bake it as well! When students learned that another skill was to be added, the one of cooking their own carrot letter-breadsticks, they were very excited.

Apart from the fun part, the learning objective of reviewing the letters in order to bake them, even build words and our own names, enhanced the fine mobility of my young learners. With the support of my Administrators, Ms. Sophia Moros, Elementary School Principal, and Ms. Valeria Laitinen, Elementary School Vice-Principal, and the assistance of parents and students, I had the unique opportunity to not only learn, and grow, but to smile again during the pandemic.

This project contributed to the wellbeing of the young learners, and allowed them to communicate with others. The next step would be to continue cooking as a means of engaging young souls and minds in everyday routine and utlizing innovative learning techniques as part of our learning process, which will undoubtably foster positive results in students ultimate

A big thank you to the parents who supported my idea.

31

Students baked and ate my last name which actually means bread in Greek.

32

How Did We Create A Yearbook That Represents A School Year Impacted By Covid-19?

by Steven Baldino & Justine Cox Elementary School Faculty 2020-2021 Yearbook Committee

T

he story of the 2020-2021 elementary school yearbook is a story of a community coming together to learn in new ways and strengthen bonds in the most unusual of circumstances. The COVID lockdown posed several challenges to students, families, and faculty, but we were able to persevere. When discussing the theme of the yearbook, we decided on a theme which would allow us to highlight the many successes of this school year: “Staying Connected: Wherever We Are!” Despite the challenges of the lockdown, the elementary school community was able to make virtual learning and school activities as seamlessly connected as possible. In the yearbook photos and student writing responses, you will find a lot of creative ways students, faculty, and families have continued to build connections and have fun, while following COVID safety precautions.

Technology, for example, has been a big game changer in elementary school this year, which is reflected in the yearbook’s many examples of innovative virtual learning and playing that took place during the lockdown. It is clear every teacher and student has become proficient in staying connected via email, virtual video calls, and Seesaw, in addition to Moodle. The

yearbook demonstrates this through screenshots of synchronous learning, highlights of projects and presentations, online community padlets, and student photography of lockdown life. The student lockdown photography project was a highlight of the book.

We wanted to dedicate a page to showing what this challenging year was like for students at home. We decided to send out a photography prompt to students that gave them an opportunity to share their experience of lockdown at home. We received some beautiful photos and insight into the different ways students and families adapt to this pandemic’s challenges.

This year all of us had to rely on technology to stay connected. This proved to be frustrating at times, but ultimately we gained a lot of skills. Our elementary school principal Ms. Sophia Moros put it perfectly when she told students in her opening statement in the yearbook, ‘You have an expanded level of digital skills and have built awareness and understanding around the various uses of technology. Truly a remarkable head-start for your learning needs of the future!’ This proves that our school community is creative and strong enough to overcome any challenges in our path.

■

ETHOS • FALL 2021

Pallini_Kennels_20.5x15.5cm_4.pdf

1

30/07/2020

14:41

ETHOS • FALL 2021

er point presentations that include maps and images from historical sources and museum artifacts. We refer to the historical timeline of the period we study and we go back to what we have studied previously so that students are given the time to connect events on the timeline. Taking into account the age limitations of elementary students, we place in historical context important persons of the past, and aim to build understanding of time and place.

Talk About Perspectives We talk about what we see – we ask questions and look into different perspectives. All students are encouraged to participate, as all voices are respected.

The battle of Thermopylae for example, becomes a point for debate where students are asked to make an important decision: leave and save their lives or fight with the Persians until the end? What would the outcome of each decision be? What each decision would look like for today’s Greece and the western civilization?

Greek History; How Do Some Students Rediscover Their Roots?

by Irini Rovoli, Elementary School Faculty

W

hat is the best way to teach history in elementary school? Research shows that even upper elementary students find it challenging to grasp lengthy time frames and complex causal inferences. This conclusion, however, does not indicate that children are unable to learn historical facts.

On the contrary, through the teaching of history, children learn to explore important values and develop skills in thinking, making connections and communicating.

Offer Students Choice Choice remains a powerful incentive for learning almost anything. This is particularly true in the case of history class where students love to make their own decision on the type of project they choose. They also love to present their work to their peers. For example, ostracism in the ancient years becomes a starting point for students to think of what their own name would look like in Ancient Greece. They experiment and laugh by putting together their first name in the nominative case and their father’s first name in the genitive case, which is a powerful hands-on grammar experience. Or, students are asked to make their own offerings to the Parthenon – and come up with lots of creative projects: from embroidery and drawings to building a model paper temple.

To conclude, Greek history instruction in the elementary school helps children discover their own relationship to their history, and realize that their actions and lives are a potential part of the history to be written.

Above all, it is a way for students to appreciate and realize their own roots and valuable heritage.

■

Best practices in teaching history in the elementary school are my main concern when it comes to my Greek near-native or native students. My goal in teaching history is to make the past seem real instead of a distant abstraction. I want my students to build their own insights into their own lives and use the historical past to illuminate the present. By cultivating a real interest and love of their Greek heritage, students develop a respect for history.

In my teaching practice, I have used three principles that are drawn from current research and blend with my rich experience. The example of grade 4 Greek Language Arts class is being used here: Enrich The History Lesson We do not rely solely on a history textbook. We supplement the text with videos and carefully chosen pow-

George and Philippos presenting the Peloponnesian wars

35

Hector’s Parthenon presentation

...Οn our way to the Parthenon

36

◉ The Greek language is fundamental to our culture; it is a live connection to homeland, which helps students maintain and preserve their Greek identity. It is very important to feel connected to their roots and feel apart of a larger community. Furthermore, through these two courses, students had the chance to learn more about Modern Greek culture and the way of life. ◉ Students were able to read Greek books and familiarize themselves with Greek literature. ◉ Students could communicate much better with their family and friends in Greece or with the Greek American community in the States. ◉ They had a better understanding of the English words which derive from the Greek language.

Who knows, maybe one day, they could be living in Greece!

Learning Greek Virtually; Is It All Greek To Me?

by Anastasia Papageorgiou, Elementary School Faculty

Despite the pandemic and the new reality, this did not stop our students’ desire to learn! Through the ACS Virtual, we managed to “build virtual bridges”, both between the two countries and between the students who participated. It has been a valuable opportunity for communicating, connecting, sharing, and learning. Above all, this virtual learning experience enabled our students to embark on the journey of discovering Greece.

■

R

eflecting on the school year that has just come to an end, I have realized that despite all the challenges faced, still new horizons opened that took us through a new learning journey. During the current school year, I had the opportunity to design and teach two courses for the ACS Athens Virtual School: Modern Greek for Beginners I (in Spring) and Modern Greek for Beginners II (in Summer).

These courses are for beginners who have little or no knowledge of Greek. Most of my students were Greek Americans. They were introduced to the Greek alphabet and learned to read and write in Greek. Through simple texts and various dialogues, they built their vocabulary skills and were able to communicate in daily situations. For example, they learnt how to introduce themselves, ask and provide information, count in Greek, go shopping, order at a restaurant, etc. I strongly believe that learning a new language can also be accomplished through various fun activities: educational videos, listening activities or many online educational games that were created for further enrichment and consolidation of the Greek vocabulary and extra practice of basic grammatical phenomena.

My students were very eager to learn Greek or, if they had some knowledge, to further practice all areas of the language. But why is it so important, especially, in a virtual environment?

ETHOS • FALL 2021

At the restaurant

H O T E L S T H AT D E F I N E T H E D E S T I N AT I O N ™ ETERNAL ELEGANCE

Visit the landmark Hotel Grande Bretagne and receive the unique chance of a lifetime experience through a collection of utmost accommodation services and indulging moments.

The mythical views and the history of Europe’s oldest capital, Athens, promise to compose an unsurpassed cultural journey through its indigenous sights and unique flavors.

EXPLORE THE DESTINATION AT GRANDEBRETAGNE.GR

MH.T.E.: 0206K015A0021500

©2020 Marriott International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All names, marks and logos are the trademarks of Marriott International, Inc., or its affiliates.

Online game - Ordering food

ETHOS • FALL 2021

◉ How will we find and maintain friendships all over the world overcoming time-zone differences? ◉ How will we communicate no matter what different languages we speak? ◉ How will we spend time and share memories with our loved ones?

What Does A World After COVID-19 Look Like?

ACS Athens Sweeps International Design Challenge Awards

by Dr. Maria D. Avgerinou, eLearning Consultant

I

ntroduction The 20th ACM Interaction Design and Children (IDC) 2021 Conference invited K12 students from all over the world to participate in a Design Challenge titled “(Re)imagining a world after COVID-19”. Students were challenged to (re)imagine the post-pandemic world and submit their vision of how technology could help to make the world one they would like to live in.

Prof. Maria Roussou of the University of Athens Greece and ICD co-chair, noted that since our everyday life has changed so drastically due to the pandemic, we now need to build new, inclusive and creative ways to deal with the challenges we are facing. New technology-based solutions are needed, based on innovative and creative designs.

Questions or starting points for students to begin thinking about and set their creativity in motion, included:

The 2021 Design Challenge initially received more than 65 proposals that were comprised of both text and visuals. Of these projects, 33 made it to finals by submitting a 1-minute video of the proposed idea and artifact or representational visuals. The final submissions originated from 5 different countries in 3 different continents. All videos were judged independently by a panel of international experts representing higher and secondary education. The following 6 evaluation criteria were used: relevance to conference theme • clarity of presentation • innovation • creativity • feasibility of implementation • effort.

The videos were also screened during the IDC 2021 conference, where more than 200 participants (out of 280 total delegates) had the opportunity to see and be impressed by them. The award ceremony took place online on June 30th.

The ACS Athens Winning Projects It is my pleasure to announce that three of the ACS Athens Elementary School (ES) projects submitted to the Design Challenge were awarded the top three places: 1st place (Odysseas & Sophia Kanavos for GrandApp), 2nd place (Afrodite Tselentis for The Hugger), and 3rd place (Akhil Asnani for the Smart Hoodie) Further, another 9 ACS Athens submissions received Special Mentions under their respective categories: COMMUNICATION: Kidbook (Papadoglou: ES) • Perspective in Relationships (Antypas, Lalaki, Sidereas, Drakou: MS) HEALTH: Virus Watch (Miliou, Sonai Bibi: ES) • Health Care Hologram Watch (Pappas, Myers, Breuhaus, Mihailidi: ES) • The Medical Hero (Stylopoulos: ES) TRANSPORTATION: The Bicycle Car (Filippos , Loukas, Nefeli: ES/4th Grade) WELL-BEING/EMPATHY: The Kidnonos Project (Averoff, Giannaki, Kanavos O., Kanavos S., Sarafis: ES)

39

COMMUNICATION WITH ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES: Hologram Play (Mitrelia, Dennery, Z. and I. Solomou: ES) EMPLOYMENT: Super Jobs (Giannaki, Kalliolias: ES) All successful projects have received a printed certificate. In addition, the three top projects have received a prize, sponsored by Osmo®, a leading educational technology company the products of which we also utilize at the Elementary School at ACS Athens.

Design Thinking: A Mindset and a Way to Be! Having being responsible since 2017 for the professional development of the ES faculty on Design Thinking (DT) while presenting and publishing widely ACS Athens-created, model DT projects such as Hug-APaw (2017 with Ms Tsoukia) and The Coding Maestros

(2018, 2021 with Ms Apostolou), it is indeed rewarding to see that our efforts to formally develop the DT skills of the teachers and further of their students have been successful both at the ES and the MS levels.

I am confident that the school will continue to work in the same vein and with the same vision. DT is one of the critical skills according to the 21st century education frameworks. It is thus extremely important that a DT thread from the ES through the MS and all the way to the Incubator, the STEAM and the Artificial Intelligence initiatives remains active, constructive, and visible to the ACS Athens learning community and beyond.

Congratulations to our students!! Keep up the great work!!

■

40

of the book “Girl with a Pearl Earring”, the book that became a beautiful film in which Scarlett Yohansson stars.

And then it dawned on me….What if I asked students to think of a story, their own story, inside the painting? What if they could come up with their own version of the relationship of the figures in a painting? My hypothesis was that if they took ownership of such a task, they would be more interested in researching about the artist, the painting, the socio-political framework and the historical background within which the artist created the painting!

And so it happened!

ESL/EFL How Can Students Develop Writing Skills Within The Discipline Of Arts?

by Venie Gaki, ESL/EFL Faculty

O

ne of the primary goals of an ESL teacher is to help students whose first language is other than English, improve their productive skills in all disciplines. For the advanced level of English learners, the last unit for the year was titled “The need for art”.

All students seem to understand the importance of art in our lives, the need for art...At least, this is what ESL 2 students seemed to comprehend when the unit was introduced.

Art….an indispensable component in most people’s lives….

Art….an inherent need that helps people express feelings and emotions….

Art….a means of delivering historical and socio-political information about an era ….

However, they unanimously said that when it comes to appreciation, they don’t know what to say or write when a teacher requests for such a task. When they are “forced” to visit a museum - indeed, “forced” was the exact word they used- they feel that they suffer from an affliction….Instead, they keep thinking about the game they would be playing or the movie they could be watching...And all this reminded me of a TED-talk I had watched by Tracy Chevallier, the author

For the successful completion of this project, we first watched Tracy Chevalier’s TED-talk “Finding the story inside the painting”, in which the presenter urged the audience to skim through the paintings in a museum and then focus on the one that makes them “stop in their tracks”.

We took a virtual tour in the Louvre and the National Gallery in London and asked students to look at the painting that made them stop in their tracks. I provided them with a site that included the 50 most famous paintings of all times. Each student picked a painting that had caught their attention. The first exercise was to ask questions that started with an interrogative pronoun without having done any research whatsoever; “who is the man?” or “ who do you think he is looking at?” and “where is he and what is he doing?”

But most importantly “why is he looking in that direction or why is he there doing what he is doing?”

Students answered the questions using their imagination and gut feeling. This what they needed to write a summary of their story; their first draft.

Then, they were asked to do research on the artist and the era in which he or she created the painting.

Finally, their task was to place their story in the historical background of the painting. The stories I read were magnificent!

The Mona Liza, Starry Night, Cafe Terrace at Night, American Gothic, The Persistence of Memory, The Kiss, The School of Athens, Portrait of Madame Recamier, Impression, Liberty Leading the People were some of the stories that the students wrote.

Some of the students took the story one step further and made trailers for potential movies!

The last step was to write the critique of the painting, using all the terms and conventions that pertain to such a written task. They were happy to do so, as they saw the painting from a different perspective now; not the expert’s, not the teacher’s, but their own, giving their own interpretations, making their own assumptions. Not only had they learned to write an academic paper and critique art, but also to value and cherish art!

ETHOS • FALL 2021

These are two students’ stories : The Persistence of Memory, by Melina Andreaki There they are, at Gunther’s small thatched house at the center of the dreary and squalid village named Saint Redbor. It was late at night, the narrow streets were empty and a mist was lingering above the straw roofs of the tiny cramped houses. Every Friday after school, the group of friends would visit each other’s homes and stay there overnight. As expected, they wouldn’t be able to drift asleep until the sun comes out behind the distant and tall mountains surrounding the village.

-I’m sick and tired of playing the games over and over again.

Asik, the youngest one from the group whined. Let’s do something different tonight.

-How about hide and seek around the whole house! Snapped in Rory. Rory is a young girl with long, ginger, curly hair. She got these huge green eyes, deep as a well and when she gives you that look she could get away with anything. She is the most energetic and imaginative one of the bunch.

-Yes! Yes! Let’s play but we should be careful not to wake up my parents. They are fast asleep after a long tiring day at working at the market. Imagine how crossed they would be if we were to wake them up. They would send all of you home and put the blame on me once and yet again! Gunther grumbled.

Gunther is a 13year- old -boy of a strong build, with messy, dark hair which is like a maze around his round face. He is the oldest one from all and is the caretaker of the group. He is the one that gets in trouble almost all of the time even though he isn’t responsible for his friends’ mischives.

So the game started off with Gunther being the seeker and the other two looking for a place to hide in order to win the game. Rory decided to hide in the kitchen under the round table with the white woolen table cloth that Gunther’s mom knitted. As for Asik, he still hasn’t figured out a good hiding spot. So he is walking at a fast pace looking for somewhere

to hide. Suddenly, from the corner of his dark blue eyes, he saw a twisted and crooked wooden staircase that led to the attic. Even though he knew his friend’s house like the palm of his hand, the attic was the only place he had never been.

Attics were not his favorite things, they were quiet, dark and full of spider webs. The idea of going up there scared him but it was an opportunity to challenge himself. So up he goes! When climbing up the stairs he saw a claustrophobic, wet, dusty room full of old furniture, half broken toys, boxes filled with ripped clothes and various tools. As he was trying to find a hiding place he stumbled at books and boxes and in order to keep his balance he held onto something covered with an old dusty cloth. He stood up and saw a twingly blue light coming from under the piece of cloth. The light gave him an unearthly feeling, it made him very curious so he lifted the cloth up. It revealed a magnificent, strange looking device that was unknown to Asik. He observed it for a little while and he came across what seemed like two odd tickets placed on a wooden mantel. He immediately shouted for his friends to climb up the stairs to join him.

-Guys, guys! Come up here! I found a weird looking machine hidden in the attic.

His friends heard him and ran upstairs.

-What is this strange looking machine? Did you know it was here? How does it work? Exclaimed Asik.

-I have no clue. I have never come across this machine before. It’s so complex and looks as if it’s haunted. Said Gunther, the one who knew every nook of this attic. Don’t go near it, it might be dangerous! It probably doesn’t even work.

-Seriously? Get out of here! How dangerous can a machine be? Rory teased Gunther and walked closer to the machine.

See? It isn’t that much of a deal. A stupid old machine can’t harm us, come closer.

The two boys left a sign of relief and moved closer to the strange looking object.

ETHOS • FALL 2021

-Hey look! I found these two cool tickets while I was observing the machine before you guys came upstairs. What if we put them in the machine? Maybe it will play music or something!

-Yes yes! Put the ticket in that slot. Rory got even more excited upon their discovery.

On the other hand though, Gunther was not so sure how safe putting the ticket in the slot would be so he backed up a little. Asik grabbed the orange ticket which appeared to have a hand drawn purple eye on it and under it the words “IN PROPER PLACE”. As soon as he placed the ticket in the slot another light turned on, it was neon green this time.

Suddenly, the whole machine started to glow. You could hear a slight roaring coming from the inside of it.

-Haha! I proved ya wrong Gunther! It really works. Laughed Rory moving Gunther.

A blue thunder looking line glowed on top of the object. Asik got closer to the light and attempted to touch it since it was very louring. As soon as he laid one finger on the light he started feeling nauseous. His vision became blurry. He tried to back off but his finger seemed as if it was glued to the light. He yelled for help from his friends and Rory immediately grabbed him by his other hand and tried to pull him.

-Rory don’t touch him! It’s dangerous! Get away from him!

Gunther yelled in panic.

But it was too late, Rory had already come in contact with her friend Asik and she felt the same way as him; blurry vision and very nauseous. The two friends were in shock and slowly started fading away. First, their legs started disappearing and slowly their whole body...

Gunther couldn’t believe his eyes. He was shaking and couldn’t breathe. His friends just disappeared in front of his eyes. They could be lost forever. Who knows. He might never see them again. What if he was just dreaming? He knew from the start that it was a bad idea to come in contact with that strange machine. He was slowly trying to recover from the shock and was trying to figure out what his next step would be. Should he follow his friends and try to rescue them by using the last ticket or go downstairs and wake up his parents in order to call the police for help.

-I can’t just abandon them. How are my parents and police going to help anyway? This isn’t just like any other troublesome situation we have been in. They wouldn’t even believe me.

Without a second thought, he grabbed the second ticket from the mantel. This ticket was pink and a moth with spread wings seemed to be drawn on it. He approached the machine with his hand trembling and he placed the ticket in the same slot. He started feeling nauseous once again, the whole room was whirling around him and his vision was getting blurry. He finally felt as if he was suspended from the ground. He wasn’t in the attic anymore. In a couple of seconds his vision came back. The world around him was black and what seemed like a black hole had devoured him. He couldn’t open his mouth and speak, maybe from the shock or maybe from the side effects of the machine.

He wasn’t sure. The journey in “who knows where” wasn’t long. Only a couple of seconds. Around him he saw different colors, shapes and sizes of clocks that their hands were spinning at the speed of light until they melted and started liquidizing. At the end of the tunnel of clocks he saw a bright blue light which blind him and prevented him from seeing or even hearing anything.

He woke up at an unknown place. He opened his eyes and tried to make out what just happened. It was a vast area, covered by sand. It was at dawn. An unwelcoming smell came from the misty sky. He couldn’t remember much. All he remembered was that he found a strange machine and somehow lost his friends and had to find them as he was older and responsible for them. He couldn’t place things in order. He was still a bit nauseous from all the spinning but he tried to reach out at a dead tree’s branch to stand up.

When he eventually managed to stand up, he looked around and saw a clock hanging from the branches of the tree like a used piece of cloth hung up to dry. More clocks in peculiar colors were laid around in the distance. Some were brown as if they were burned, some were radiating blue and some others were bright white. He scanned the area trying to find his friends or any sign of life. Where have his friends been?

To be continued…

The swing, by Elena Sisini Xanthopoulou There she is, resting on her swing, placidly swinging back and forth. In each forward movement she stretches legs upwards trying to reach the sky. Along with her legs, her peach colored dress decorated with white lace, follows her paced movements forming magical waves. Meanwhile the warm sunbeams find their way through the dense foliage of the trees only to stumble on her skin, filling her with the pleasant feeling of warmth and satisfaction. Contrary to the warmth of the sunlight, the environment around her is wet and suffocating, as the heat is trapped under the trees, having no way out. Even though during the hot days of the summer the weather conditions become unbearable, this small, magican garden has a special place in her heart. It’s her most favorite place on Earth, it’s her shelter, her second home, which is full of despondent and gleeful memories.

The metallic, tall, black gate which is guarded by two stone lion statues is the only entrance to the garden… at least the only visible one. In the heart of the garden, a white, ancient greek- styled with blue roof kyosky can be found. Eight marble columns support the blue with golden details roof.

In the middle of the kyosky, on a marble one foot table, a sculpture is placed. The simple but at the same time unique sculpture has a special meaning for Rose Stawarski; the girl on the swing. The statue is nothing more than an average sized, porcelain heart surrounded by a golden protective case which also allows the observer to see its content. On the shiny, golden case, two calligraphy capital initials are carefully engraved.

E. F. What do they stand for?.... For her first, true love of course; Edward Fernandez. He was a wealthy, handsome man but his money never mattered to Rose. What she mostly loved about him was his big heart, kindness and capacity to forgive others. In his big heart was where she, herself found the dagger dipped; what an irony right? After he got murdered, for two years she fell into depression. Her life froze

43

and nothing mattered to her anymore. She stopped taking care of her garden and even attempted to burn it. That was when she realized she had to start moving forward and so she moved his corpse to her garden and buried him where the kyosky is built today. She also locked her memories of him in the poseline heart and threw the key away. Once in a while she visited him and talked to him for hours but slowly after months and years were passing, she forgot him and so she started a new life. She had a new beginning and she started taking care of herself again. She started getting out of her house and going on long walks with her friends.

She was proud of herself and her accomplishments but still there were times she felt guilty and angry. She felt guilty because she forgot about him and started flirting with other guys. But she also felt mad, she was still in love with him and when things started getting serious with other men, she became vulnerable and weak. Soo weak she would give up and finally end up 26 and single.... Now that you know more about her background let’s get back to the present. Oh yes… we left her swinging back and forth. Her movements are joyful but her facial expression is not, she looks nostalgic and miserable.

-“Rose, are you thinking of him again?” a voice coming from behind the buses asked her. It was her best friend Eliza. Eliza has been there for her throughout all the stages of grief Rose went through.

-“Yes… I am.” Rose slowly replied, leaving a sigh at the end.

“Everytime I start having feelings for someone else, I feel like I am replacing him.” She added. “I just can’t get over him. I never will.” She complained.

-“O yes you will! That’s why I am here, remember. To cheer you up. So guess what, we are going out tonight.” Eliza said with enthusiasm as she was moving towards her. Rose intensely stopped her swing by touching her legs to the

ground. She opened her mouth to say something, probably to argue with Eliza on why she doesn’t want to go out but before she managed to say something, her friend interrupted her.

-“Oh give me a break Rose!” She said, throwing her hands to her side. “I know you don’t want to come but it’s been three years now since he... you know ‘died’ and you can’t stay here forever.” She quickly added. “Yes, enough is enough, we are going out tonight!” she assured herself.

Finally, Rose was convinced and deep down she knew from the beginning that she had to move on, find someone else and get married because marriage was each woman’s destination.

Later on in the afternoon, after she and Eliza got nicely dressed and prepared, they attended the summer event, one of the most important of the year. They are both wearing long dresses covered with silver, shiny glitter. Rose’s dress is light blue and on top of their curly, brown hair there are carefully placed three white roses. Along with them, fifty other guests arrived in their fancy carriages. Each carriage is carried by two magnificent horses and is escorted by at least one chauffeur. After about half an hour, everyone was gathered in the main hall and the music started playing. The couples started dancing merrily in the rhythm of the music and everyone seemed happy except Rose. She was at the bar looking down at her drink and then a man approached her.

He was wearing a dusky, formal suit and his head was covered with a silver mask allowing only his eyes to be seen.

He intensely stared into Rose’s eyes and then slowly took his mask off to reveal his face. By it’s sight, Rose’s heart stopped beating for a second; then she fainted...

■

44

ETHOS • FALL 2021

ETHOS • FALL 2021

gent algorithms which analyse that data. In an effort to assist with the pandemic, ACS Athens’ new Artificial Intelligence Lab team was inspired and designed the Oxymeter. This Oxymeter can count the important oxygen level of a patient as well as his heart rate, which judges whether or not the patient needs to be hospitalized. The Oxymeter uses the Internet of Things platforms in order for the doctor to monitor the patient’s health from anywhere. Internet of Things is a system of internet-connected objects that are able to collect and transfer data.

Rise Above Challenges; Stay Connected How Can Artificial Intelligence Be Implemented In The Curriculum?

The Artificial Intelligence Lab has many projects and one of the key projects is Niki. Niki is a multi-modular humanoid which combines artificial intelligence, computer vision, speech recognition, Internet of Things, and robotics. The combination of all these topics is a challenge for education. There could be many teams working on Niki which would focus on different parts of her hardware, and software. Imagine a humanoid built by students playing chess! With the use of Niki, students will not just learn the theory of artificial intelligence, but have hands-on projects.

They can create, inspire and experiment their own ideas with Niki and will have accomplished having lifelong opportunities. With the help of the Artificial Intelligence Lab and Niki, the students will be ready for our rapidly changing world. For example, once students have already used object recognition, if they want to be radiologists, they have to consider that a similar algorithm which they have created, can do

by Adrianos Botsios, Middle School Student

T

o begin, we are in the 4th industrial revolution.

This translates into the fusion of innovative technologies that will ultimately transform production, management and governance, by exceeding the linear pace and moving forward at an exponential pace. The 4th industrial revolution embraces breakthroughs in fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, Internet of Things, energy storage, and quantum computing. Similarly, I created Green Team, with the vision of making the world a better place by eliminating pollution. As we made projects like the Green City, I noticed that artificial intelligence could be a solution to many problems like decreasing pollution by creating electricity grids and having traffic control.

Artificial intelligence is an intelligence demonstrated by algorithms with the ability to simulate animal or human-like intelligence. Artificial intelligence has proved to be very useful in a variety of topics, but especially now during COVID-19. It has helped analyze huge amounts of data from patients to help doctors better understand the virus. For example, to analyze the quick rise of cases due to new variants, or if the use of masks is effective, can be examined by intelli-

Oximeter: Can count your oxygen and heartbeat and uses the Internet of Things so you can access that data from anywhere(Part of ACS Athens Artificial Intelligence Lab)

47

their job very effectively. Indeed, Google’s artificial intelligence system beat a group of radiologists into detecting early stages of breast cancer. The solution is to work with artificial intelligence, which can be done through education in young ages. The impact of artificial intelligence will be paramount and it is critical that we invest in education and infrastructure as we transition into this new future. Likewise, a study by McKinsey Company, states that by 2030 artificial intelligence will contribute 13 trillion in Global Economic Activity. While 70% of the companies will have adopted some form of artificial intelligence. ACS Athens is a pioneer and has already started implementing artificial intelligence in the curriculum. By building the Artificial Intelligence Lab, ACS Athens students will be able to turn theory into practice. It is time to prepare the citizens of the next generation.

Create, inspire and educate.

Niki the humanoid project (Part of ACS Athens Artificial Intelligence Lab) and Adrianos Botsios.

48

6 am.

The sun had not yet risen.

Waves of steam are coming out of the water. The lights of the swimming pool form a screen with the fog. Just a few minutes ago I was dreaming, now we are waiting for our coach to give us the signal to dive into the water. Goosebumps all over ... It is freezing outside.

For most of us, it only takes a few seconds to cross the 50m swimming pool from one end to the other. For me, sometimes it feels like 30 seconds of never ending anxious chaos.

In these few seconds needed to reach a new record, time strangely expands. I see a stopwatch running in my mind, the time ticking faster and faster every time I take a breath: “I have to be the best butterfly swimmer in Greece”, the voice inside keeps telling me.

How Can we Push Our Personal Limits?

by Evan Paneras, Middle School Student

ETHOS • FALL 2021

At the National Swimming Competition, July 14-19, 2021, Evan finished with a total count of 6 medals

The buildup to the national race was the most intense feeling I can remember this year. Nothing could stop me from reaching my goal. Around three hours of practice per day while trying to give school my 100% effort at the same time, talk about stress!

It was hard for everyone during the pandemic. Everything seemed new and the danger felt like it was everywhere. We could not see what tomorrow would look like.

I came to realize that swimming is what helped me through the difficulties of the lockdown. Although at times, I felt discouraged, disappointed, exhausted and even sometimes felt that my whole body was shutting down, swimming undoubtedly kept me going.

However, getting second place in the 50m Butterfly in the National Race this year was extremely hard. But I

do believe that it’s only a matter of time, training and consistency to win the gold because I am motivated, determined and steadfast on attaining this goal.

The pandemic has allowed me to realize that I can overcome any difficulty in life. Whether it be a problem with my friends or family, or even something bigger in the community. These tough situations helped me understand that I need to have the same persistence and consistency with school as I did with swimming. Pushing limits. Overcoming every expectation for my performance. And even though I know how it felt, I must admit that I was not alone on this journey… Me and my friends, classmates and swimmers were in this together, constantly being an inspiration to each other.

It is this the spirit of togetherness that brought us here in friendship and unity.

■

ETHOS • FALL 2021

When I was brainstorming about what to write my story about, I was heavily influenced by Soul, a 2020 film by Pixar Animation Studios. Pixarhas always captured my admiration, as I have always been fascinated by the way they storytell, not only through stunning visuals, but also the emotionally captivating composition and use of music in their films. Prior to making To Finally Feel, I had watched Soul and had been completely obsessed with the soundtrack.

Multiple composers and many musicians worked on the soundtrack, but I wasspecifically drawn to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ contributions, and more specifically the tracks: Just Us, Falling,and The Great Before/U Seminar. Paired with the animation, these tracks seemedto capture what physical touch sounds like. I took this element in account when creating the music for To Finally Feel and paid special attention to enhancing what I was saying in the story and whatwas visually on screen through the music in the background.

How Does Storytelling Become A Way To Learn Math?

by Emma Bello, Academy Student

S

torytelling is such a fascinating mode of communication and preservation between people, experiences, and various time periods. In my experience,art and math have always been separated from each other, as they seemed too different to ever be combined in an interesting and relevant way.

To Finally Feel is proof that this kind of thinking is wrong and that every part of learning can work together to create something meaningful, such as telling a story.

To Finally Feel began as a math assignment to write an imaginative story relating to a specific topic or issue within the confines of exploring what AI is, prior to diving into the mathematics of AI. The end product consisted of a story of emotion and connection being told through audio and visual elements in the form of a video. In brief, To Finally Feel follows two characters, Hollis,a tree spirit, and Nox, an AI robot who got lostin the deepest part of the forest. This story is magical and warm as Hollis explains to Nox what it means to understand and feel emotion, eventually giving up her own soul so that Nox can become human and finally begin to feel.

The last element to the project was putting together the video and ensuring it would be visually interesting. As much as I would have likedto have it acted out, I am not an actor or a filmmaker, so I resorted to pulling together stockfootage as well as my own footage from childhood and editing them to communicate what was happening in the story.

For some people, math is not a favorite subject, that being because they simply do not like it, or because it’s hard to understand. In a lot of cases,storytelling does not seem like a relevant way to grasp what is going on, but I believe that the skillof bridging two unlikely subjects like art and math is what can be drawn from the creation of To FinallyFeel.

■

51

Still images from the short: To Finally Feel, by Emma Bello.

52

a unit. In elementary and middle school, we would always be placed in separate classes so as to build our own set of friendships and be able to overcome academic difficulties separately. ACS Athens was able to cater to each of our needs, and this willingness to accommodate also defined our high school experience.

For instance, Greg was able to combine his interests in sports and community service by volunteering to teach young children tennis. Michaela was able to explore her affinity for public speaking and discussion by participating in the school’s debate club. Alexandra was given the opportunity to exhibit her leadership skills while also giving back to the community in clubs like Koinwnos. In this way, being brought up in an international school allowed us to individually flourish, while simultaneously instilling in us a foundation of similar values and beliefs. Though we were given the same education, the same tools to engage with the world, we were given the freedom to choose how we wanted to use these tools and apply our education.

Thus, we were able to build well-rounded personalities with varied interests.

What Is It Like To Be A Triplet At An International School?

by Alexandra Gregoriou, Greg Gregoriou and Michaela Gregoriou, Academy Students

G

rowing up as triplets, we have experienced every important milestone together. From choosing our backpacks for the first day of school, to receiving our high school diplomas on graduation day, all of these important moments combine into a kaleidoscope of beautiful memories. When people ask us, “What is it like being a triplet?” it is often difficult to articulate a response. After all, though we immensely appreciate each other’s presence in our lives, being a triplet is our norm. To us, it is expected that one of our family members is one room over, experiencing similar, if not identical, academic hardships as we are. To us, the skill of dividing food in threes has been mastered. To us, printing out three copies of the same form goes unquestioned. Much of our lives has been defined by a strong sense of unity and deep connection, as we were always raised to put family first.

With that being said, our upbringing in an environment as engaging and open minded as ACS Athens has helped foster our individuality and cement our uniqueness. The school and its faculty has always made an effort to lift us up as individuals, rather than

The mission statement or “vision” of ACS Athens is to raise responsible global citizens. Ultimately, our experience, as we have evolved from children to young adults, proves that there is no single face or characteristic assigned to being a global citizen. Though there are certain values that are shared amongst global citizens, values like respect and open mindedness, the ways in which these values are expressed can appear in a multitude of ways. While Michaela’s love for music allows her to understand the universality of art, Alexandra and Greg’s active sense of empathy enhances their understanding of disadvantaged people around the world. These instincts, which have been established and facilitated during our time in ACS Athens, aid us in being internationally mindful citizens. As we graduate into a new chapter in our lives, we are not only grateful for the wonderful memories we have created in our school, but also for the invaluable lessons we have learned and will cherish for the rest of our lives.

■

ETHOS • FALL 2021

The Gregoriou triplets, Michaela, Greg and Alexandra.

ETHOS • FALL 2021

The earlier the parents identify possible synaesthetic symptoms of their child, the stronger their support can be at school. Synesthetic children are gifted in many ways; becoming aware of their Synaesthesia in the early school years may be extremely beneficial for their later personal development. Synesthetic children may develop their sensorial associations slowly, each in their own time but all equally gifted. Learning in school is more efficient when involving different sensory modalities. With colours, genders and personalities, learning can become easier as studies have shown, which also improve memory recall. The colours of the letters encode the words and can help to store information. Therefore, synesthetic children can use their own colour code, to support their learning.

Synaesthesia Does My Child Have Synaesthesia?

by Effie Zografou- Elgabry Synaesthete and Fellow, Institute of ACS Athens

H

ave you ever thought that numbers and words could have their own colours and personalities?

Can you imagine the funny face of the letter M, the popcorn taste of the letter Z and its beautiful pink colour?

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could see the shape of time?

Do you have “blue” Tuesdays and “green” Fridays? How colourful your day could be if you could see the sound of a bird song, or the fireworks of a car horn spreading in front of you, or even the dialogue of your friends dancing in colours right before your eyes.

If any of this sounds familiar to you, then you might be a Synesthete! Synesthetes are persons gifted with Synaesthesia, a blending power of senses. Synaesthesia is a neurological condition in which information of one sense stimulates additional senses. Now, imagine the whole new world of perceptions that opens up! There are multiple types of Synaesthesia, all with different symptoms. The most common and well-known type is Grapheme-colour synaesthesia, where letters and numbers have their own colours. There is also sound-to-colour synaesthesia, number form, mirror-touch and 80 more registered types of Synaesthesia – (so far)! Even better, you may have a combination of a multiple types. People who experience synaesthesia are usually born with that condition or develop it very early in their childhood. Research indicates that synaesthesia can be genetically inherited.

4.4% of the population know that they have Synaesthesia, which means 370 million people are already “registered” Synesthetes. However, because the condition is scarcely known there may be many more synesthetes in the world who just don’t know yet.

Imagine, however, if a child is forced to deal with text or numbers that oppose their own color-coded interpretations of them, e.g. having to deal with white letters on the keyboard, or black letters on the whiteboard - imagine the struggle! As Prof. Julia Simner of Sussex University entertains, it is like showing a child the word red, but written in green. This discrepancy could have detrimental effects on the child’s learning performance. For this reason, we must continuously try to create a supportive environment for our children with diverse learning experiences, beginning with awareness.

Knowledge of synaesthesia is extending globally through The International Association of Synesthetes, Scientists and Artists (IASAS). IASAS has hosted two international conferences on Synaesthesia, taking place in California, USA (2017) and in Moscow, Russia (2019) respectively. I was invited to the latter conference as a speaker, and I have shared a personal account of the experience in a previous issue of Ethos magazine (see Ethos Fall 2020, vol 15).

Recently, on the 26th June 2021, IASAS collaborated with the Synaesthesia Society of Africa (SSOA), which hosted the first ever virtual Symposium about Synaesthesia in Africa: Discovery, Awareness, Research and Outreach.

Topics discussed included academic and community perspectives on how to promote synaesthesia research at African universities, as well as personal accounts of synesthetes.

I am proud to announce that ACS, too, is taking pioneering steps towards realizing students’ unique potential. As Innovation Fellow and a synesthete myself, I invite you to join us in the Synaesthesia programme at ACS, making it the very first school in Greece to support the learning performance for synesthetic children.

Our children at ACS will have the opportunity to participate in an online assessment – the Multisense Synaesthesia Toolkit, developed by Prof. Julia Simner to identify children with synaesthesia. In doing so, and through this monthly column, we strive to develop the best learning environment for each individual, which promotes a clear scientific understanding of Synaesthesia, to propel our students in becoming architects of their own learning.

■

55

Synaesthesia in Africa: Discovery, Awareness, Research, and Outreach Hosted by The SSOA in collaboration with The IASAS)

A child learning with wrong coloured letters or numbers may have a negative impact on learning performance.

56

Within the next few days, I prepared answers to questions I would be discussing during the panel. For example, “As a result of this project, why do you think quality education for all is important?” When answering such questions, I always have my “why” in mind. What propelled me and continues to motivate me to want to advocate for a holistic education for all?

On September 3rd, I woke up with my heart beating slightly faster than usual. It was the day when the panel would be pre-recorded, and then it would air for thousands of viewers to see. Despite my initial anxiety-inducing thoughts, I was absolutely euphoric. I was looking forward to a discussion about quality education with leaders in their respective fields.

Ideagen TV What Does Participation In A Global Panel Teach Us About The Future Of Education?

by Ann Marie Martinou, Academy Student

I

am simply one of those people that loves to help others, including friends, family, and virtually any person I come across. Hence, community service opportunities have always both intrigued and excited me and for this reason, I have been actively involved in ACS Athens’ Youth to Youth Programme for the past three years. Not only is the experience fulfilling, but it also allows me to help members of my community, which I can subsequently form valuable friendships.

On August 31, 2020, I was contacted by Dr. Pelonis, who informed me that Ideagen TV was presenting a 17 days of sustainability summit and I was invited to participate in it! The summit includes panel discussions on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), inspired by the reputable United Nations initiative. The topic of the panel was “Quality Education,” which directly aligns with SDG 4.

Within the next few days, I worked hard to link my experience with the Youth to Youth program to the concept of quality education for all.

Undoubtedly, this theme largely connects to the ACS Athens mission: to provide a holistic education to any student and prompt them to unleash their ultimate potential. This further ties into the vision statement, because an optimal education empowers global citizens to utilize their knowledge in order to create a pathway for themselves and for future generations.

When I entered the call, I was greeted by Dr. Pelonis, Ms. Constantinides, Ornella Muca (an ACS alum), as well as others outside of the ACS community. The discussion was an immensely fruitful experience, and everyone contributed a different, refreshing perspective on the topic.

After the discussion had elapsed, I reflected on what I learned, and noticed a number of themes present within everyone’s input. One of these themes is the understanding that the face of education is rapidly changing, and new strategies must be implemented to upgrade everything we know about education. Another theme is a positive attitude towards change; without this mindset, the implementation of new educational strategies would be an arduous process. However, equipped with this mentality, the reformation of the education system as we know it can be catalysed.

As a student, acquiring this knowledge from my fellow panelists made me realize how, through resilience, the next steps in securing a quality education for all is fully plausible. Nevertheless, this step will take time. With the right goals, passions, mentors, and leaders, anything can be possible, and the path to quality education can be engineered by those who desire it most.

■

ETHOS • FALL 2021

ETHOS • FALL 2021

PTO Why Is The Buddy Mentoring Program Important For Our Students And For New Families Joining Acs Athens?

by Members of the ACS Athens PTO 2020-2021

T

his last year amidst the COVID pandemic, has been difficult for school children and their families in quarantine, with some struggling more than others. These families were new to ACS and to Greece – their kids did not have time to connect with their classmates and families also did not know anyone in the area. These families reached out to the PTO and we saw the need for an action plan. In response to this feedback and with the enthusiastic support of the School Administration and Counseling offices we re-initiated the FSNF / Buddy Mentoring program at ACS. The Families Sponsoring New Families program, works in tandem with the Buddy Mentoring program, where students are matched with new students, to welcome them and help them with their transition into a new school. Families are matched using criteria such as neighborhood, age of children and hobbies so they can bond with a new family. Our goal is to make ACS Athens the most welcoming school in Greece. We never want families to feel isolated or lonely.

We are proud to inform, that we have had such a tremendously positive response, with a record number of families signing up to be sponsors. We thank you all for making ACS a most welcoming school and community. Our mission is to Connect, Support and Inform the ACS Community and this is done best with your help.

It is also important to note, that we have a Community Share Page on FB that families can use to start groups or initiate activities with other families and may join here: ACS Athens Community Share Page on Facebook. We also encourage anyone who wants to make new friends and become a part of the ACS community to volunteer at our many events throughout the school year.

The ACS Athens PTO sends out a warm welcome to our community of parents, students, faculty, and staff, representing approximately 65 nationalities. We proudly work together to give our children the best educational experience possible.

To learn more about our activities, events and meetings, please visit our PTO webpage. The ACS Athens PTO Board eagerly looks forward to meeting you!

■

59

60

direction. Employees feel more comfortable asking questions in this setting, which leads to a better understanding of the culture and the processes of ACS Athens.

Through this program, experienced ACS Athens faculty is paired with newly hired faculty/staff who are:

Professional

Development Why Do Teachers Teach Teachers At ACS Athens?

Discover the New Colleagues Program

by Evi Evloyias, Elementary School Faculty, NESA representative, PD team member and Andromachi Fragkou, HR Officer, PD team member

T

hink back to a time when you went to your first day of school in high school or university. Think about how lost you were trying to navigate the halls or campus. Think about how many new people you met, in a whirlwind of names and faces. Now think about your first day at a new job. Think about the new responsibilities weighing on you, and the responsibilities you didn’t even know you had. Think about how confused you were when specific work language or acronyms were used between your new colleagues. Now think about traveling to a new country that speaks a language you do not.

Think about going to the supermarket or traversing from one part of a city to another. Now roll all of these situations into one. It would be nerve-wracking. Now imagine if there was a person who knows that feeling, that would be able to support you with any issues and could even predict issues you don’t know exist to help ease your frustrations.

The New Colleagues Program at ACS Athens is a faculty-initiated mentoring program that creates a framework of support for new hires and/or employees transitioning positions. This program ensures that team members have built-in support when they have questions or need

•

New to the school

•

New to the county

•

New to the teacher’s role

for them to become acquainted with faculty resources, classroom technology, procedural norms, and general problem solving.

The Role of the Mentor is significant to the success of this learning experience. The mentor participates in meetings, workshops and training for the purpose of gathering information required to develop capacity as an ACS Athens mentor. He/she is responsible for building a trusting relationship with the mentee and empowering him/her to feel safe in asking questions, taking risks, and growing in their role. By serving as a peer-instructional coach and inviting the new colleague to also coach his/ her mentor, a mutually beneficial relationship is created.

The New Colleagues Program starts when the mentor is introduced to his/her mentee during the hiring process, but the official kick-off meeting is in late August during the on-boarding training. The on-boarding training “New Faculty Orientation Program” is designed in such a way to ensure that all new members transition smoothly not only to a new country but also to our ACS Athens community. Following the i2Flex methodology which is based on independent, guided and inquiry based virtual learning support by technology, all new hires are enrolled in an asynchronous Moodle course which provides the necessary information needed prior to arriving at ACS Athens.

Through this course, everyone has the opportunity to get a good feel and a well-rounded approach about the school’s profile, beliefs, mission and vision before coming to school face-to-face.

Through the asynchronous and synchronous sessions, the new faculty is able to observe best practices, while reflecting on the mission and the vision of the school and how they can implement it in their area of work. The onboard training concludes with a face-to-face celebration planned by the PD team, where both mentors and mentees enjoy a small taste of Greek hospitality. Through this process, everyone feels more acquainted with each other and ideally begins to form a bond.

At the end of the first semester and in order to reinforce the collaboration the PD team invites Mentors and Mentees to participate in a “New Colleagues Program Happy Hour Meeting”. Mentors and mentees have the oppor-

ETHOS • FALL 2021

tunity to share success stories from the first half of the school year (both face-to-face- and virtually), address challenges and how to best approach them, as well as look ahead to what is coming in the next semester. The feedback is received by both the mentor and the mentees to make sure that the mentoring relationship is meaningful and efficient.

At the end of the school year, a small gathering is planned where everyone has time to share successes as well as challenges and reflect on the mentoring process.

At ACS Athens we believe in being“reflective practitioners”.

This means that our faculty is continuously learning and growing. ACS Athens is committed to its vision of pursuing excellence by empowering individuals to transform the world as architects of their own learning. This is true especially with our faculty/staff, by offering continuous professional development, diverse opportunities to grow

as educators and individuals and reach their full potential for the benefit of all learners in our community.

Appendix: Some quotes from the feedback survey 2019-2020 “Being a new admin, it was important to have someone who knows the school, yet is not in a position to be evaluated or supervised by me.”

“She was a generous listener, sounding board, a dispenser of advice. Her energy and her approach to her craft served as a ray of light for me. She was knowledgeable about general practices (Skyward, Moodle, grading policies), and gave excellent advice when I vented (I did that A LOT).”

■

Find out more about the impact of this program on the below table¨ Service Received

Service Provided

School Year

School/ Department

New Hires

Transitioning Faculty

Fully school year Mentor

One semester Mentor

2019-2020

Elementary

7

0

4

3

Middle School

5

0

4

1

Academy

8

0

5

3

Student Services

7

0

6

1

Total

27

End of Year Celebration

Feedback survey 2019-2020

Virtual Mid Year Meeting

ETHOS • FALL 2021

Dr. Evan Syropoulos - Literacy Action Research provided me with a unique opportunity to reflect on my practice and evolve as an educator. It enabled me to rethink learning in an exclusively online environment and redesign my syllabus accordingly. Inviting students to become my collaborators in the Action Research journey radically altered the class dynamic. It empowered and actively engaged them, highlighting that we are a community of learners, building on each other’s constructive criticism and thoughtful feedback.

Working with my colleagues on the Chapman presentation enabled me to compare and contrast practices, recontextualize my teaching methodology, and rethink curriculum alignment in interdisciplinary terms. There is nothing more intellectually stimulating and rewarding than collaborating and exchanging knowledge with educators from various disciplines that share the same constructivist philosophy and are willing to take risks in order to revolutionize student learning.

How Do Teachers Benefit From The Action Research Process?

by Steven Baldino, Konstandinos Koudounis, Eleftheria Maratos, Evan Syropoulos, Jay Whalen and Amalia Zavacopoulou, Elementary, Middle School and Academy Faculty

A

s educators in a K-12 American International School developing global citizens, sharing our knowledge and experiences with university students is not a regular part of our day. When we were approached by Dr. Pelonis to participate in a virtual presentation on Action Research to students at a graduate level Education course offered at Chapman University in California, we were excited to say the least. Since one of the final courses at Chapman includes an Action Research component, ACS Athens presented a series of workshops in the form of four sessions.

We participated in the second session, entitled “Faculty: From Theory to Practice” in which we presented our Action Research stories, focusing on our different learning experiences, the benefits of Action Research and even any challenges we had to overcome. What a wonderful opportunity to showcase what a reflective practitioner looks like at ACS Athens! The Chapman presentation provided a great opportunity for us to learn about each other’s projects and work process. We were able to come together as a team, make connections in our projects, and give each other valuable feedback along the way.

But how has each one of us experienced the unique and rewarding process of Action Research?

Eleftheria Maratos - Middle School, Literacy Going through the Action Research process, I kept up with current educational trends and best practices to best support my students and organize my online lessons effectively and optimally to be productive. It was important to me that my learners be engaged and that learning be meaningful during this challenging time. As teachers, we collect various data, and during the Action Research process, this data was streamlined to enhance my pedagogical focus. The Action Research process drives me to focus on targeted goals and includes new practices in my teaching field. As a reflective practitioner, I consistently review and revise my lessons to see what works effectively and how students respond to activities and assignments presented to them. The journey of learning is interconnected for the educator and the learner. Through my growth, my students will grow to become reflective critical thinkers.

The meetings of our Action Research groups proved critical in building professional relationships to share ideas and concerns during our discussions. The collaboration with our colleagues was invaluable. We were grateful for the opportunity to share our experiences with the graduate students of Chapman University. It is our hope that our insights on the Action Research process contributed positively to benefit those starting out in the educational field.

Jay Whalen - First Grade, Literacy This year’s Action Research project created many opportunities for me to interface and collaborate with colleagues, as well as students and families. I was able to reflect on the data that I collected in multiple ways, which allowed me to adjust my teaching practices as necessary, in order to meet the various and unique needs of my students, as we alternated between virtual and face-to-face learning.

Working with fellow teachers from across grade levels and disciplines as we prepared for our presentations to the Chapman students was a wonderful way for me to further reflect on my Action Research data collection and analysis. Coming together as a collaborative group, we

63

were able to create a streamlined, coherent, and comprehensive presentation for the students, while also taking the opportunity to think once again about where we were in our own Action Research processes, as we neared the end of the school year.

It was inspiring to hear the different ways my colleagues formulated their Action Research question, and gathered their data. All of us walked away with new ideas and methodologies. This is the benefit of collaborating across grade levels and disciplines!

Konstandinos Koudounis - Middle School, Science Action Research provided me with an opportunity to explore something that I wanted to try in my classroom in a well-structured and effective way. Generating the idea was the easy part, putting it into practice and collecting data presented a challenge. This led to collaboration with colleagues that created discussions that enabled me to fine-tune my question and discover a way to collect qualitative and quantitative data. My goal as an educator is to send my students out into the world as risk takers and problem solvers. Putting into practice the message that I want to convey to them in my pursuits is empowering.

Taking risks, failing, and persevering are the qualities that my Action Research enabled me to experience.

CONCLUSION When we began collaborating on this presentation, we were focused on telling our Action Research stories and answering the following questions: How can a teacher use action research as part of their practice? How does this process enable educators to be good teachers, and why is this methodology considered good teaching practice? Ultimately, through collaborating as a group and sharing our experiences with the Chapman University students, we not only individually refined our personal answers to these questions, but also feel motivated and inspired to continue creating positive teaching and learning experiences in the future.

■

Presenting our experiences to future educators of Chapman provided the opportunity to further collaborate with ACS faculty and to realize the wealth of knowledge that is on the campus. Furthermore, getting valuable feedback from my colleagues when practicing my presentation led to an authentic and dynamic presentation of my Action Research. The entire process, although daunting at times, reignited my passion to fine-tune my instrument as an effective educator and has sparked a new idea that I am excited to research.

Amalia Zavacopoulou - Academy Social Studies, Conscious Citizenship I view Action Research as an extension of my practice… of what I do every day. I am fortunate enough to teach Humanities, an interdisciplinary, team taught course, with Ms. Kathy Jasonides. Our joint Action Research project grew out of our desire to make the course, and our students’ learning, engaging and significant so they can make personal connections to the content and see its relevance in the world around them. Ultimately, I believe that every educator wants to engage their students and nurture a passion for lifelong learning.

Action Research offers educators an opportunity to take risks and be creative, and sharing my experience with future educators just starting their professional journeys at Chapman provided me with yet another opportunity and context to reflect on the process. I was happy to learn more about the projects of my colleagues and felt honored to be part of such a group of thoughtful and dedicated educators.

Steven Baldino - Elementary Art, Conscious Citizenship This presentation was a great way for me to reflect on the progress of my first Action Research project: my successes, my challenges, and why my Action Research question is important to me. The experience showed me the value of being a reflective educator and the power it has in creating positive experiences for both my students and myself.

64

i Flex 2

Handbook Of Research On K-12 Blended And Virtual Learning Through The I²Flex Classroom Model: How can a K-12 School manage to publish a premier reference book in the middle of the Pandemic?

by Dr. Maria D. Avgerinou, eLearning Consultant

I

n September 2019, the IGI Global publisher extended an early invitation to editors Avgerinou and Gialamas to work on the enhanced edition of their successful 2016 book Revolutionizing K-12 Blended Learning through the i²Flex Classroom Model. This development was due especially to our publication’s innovative content demonstrating that K12 educators can indeed produce new knowledge, which today with the new normal being imposed by Covid19, is more relevant than ever. Classified as core reference material and indexed in Scopus, the 2016 book has been adopted by various teacher education schools and academic libraries in higher education institutions (Stanford University among others) while several of its chapters

have been selected to feature in other publications focusing on online course management, gamification, mobile devices in education, and blended learning.

Edited by Drs. Avgerinou and Pelonis and published in March 2021, the new book titled Handbook of Research on K-12 Blended and Virtual Learning Through the i²Flex Classroom Model serves as an enhanced version of some chapters of the 2016 edition, but mostly as a platform for new and invited chapters. With its impressive compilation of 35 chapters authored by 13 international scholars as well as 33 ACS Athens educators, the book presents (1) research and trends related to blended and virtual learning in the K12, as well as (2) research outcomes of the i2Flex methodology as seen in its various ACS Athens applications where the Community of Inquiry Framework, together with the QualityMatters® procedures and rubric have been extensively and ingeniously used to survey student and faculty satisfaction, and to plan and evaluate course design. The book also discusses and outlines the educational philosophy and associated leadership model that need to be in place in order for such school-wide, technology-based innovation to succeed; and finally, it showcases individual Action Research projects written by teachers who have implemented blended and virtual teaching in their classes. This part of the book titled “Voices from the ACS Athens Trenches” together with the “Stories of Innovation and Leadership in the K12” are perhaps the most significant ones of the publication as they contain not only the “what”, and “so what”, but also the “now what” of such implementation, while also capturing moments of the authoring educators as agents

ETHOS • FALL 2021

2016 EDITION

2021 EDITION

Revolutionizing K-12 Blended Learning through the i²Flex Classroom Model

Handbook of Research on K-12 Blended and Virtual Learning Through the i²Flex Classroom Model

#Of Editors

2

2

#Of Chapters (Total)

25

35

Authored By ACS Athens

18

27

External Or Co-Authored With ACS Athens

7

8

#Of Solo ΑCS Athens Chapters

6

14

#Of Co-Authored ACS Athens Chapters

11

13

#Of Sections

3

5

#Of Authors (Total)

40

46

#Of ACS Athens Authors

28

33

of change and reflective practitioners.

Teaching models that focus on blended and virtual learning have become more than important during the past year: they have become critical for the continuance of learning. The i²Flex classroom model, a variation of blended learning, allows non-interactive teaching activities to take place without teachers’ direct involvement, freeing up time for more meaningful teacher-student and student-student interactions. There is evidence that i²Flex leads to increased student engagement and motivation as well as better exploitation of teachers’ and classroom time leading to the development of higher order cognitive skills as well as study skills for students’ future needs related to citizenship, college, and careers. Chapter themes evolve around such topics as: blended/i2Flex teaching and learning in the subject areas, pre-service teacher education, the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, student leadership, visual literacy in the K12, STEAM, etc. Reflection on teachers’ professional experience during last spring’s lock down is also included where appropriate. Furthermore, a new section has been added giving voice to all three schools’ innovative work that though it supports curriculum, does not fall under formal teaching. This work is informed by the ACS Athens’ revised vision, and also by extant research and current trends in education worldwide. Here the topics span from mindfulness, and growth mindset applications to coding with music, the Youth-to-Youth program, and the United Nations sustainable development goals.

While highlighting new methods for improving the classroom and learning experience in addition to preparing students for higher education and careers, this publication is an essential reference source for pre-service and in-service teachers, researchers, administrators, educational technology developers, and students interested in finding out how the i2Flex model can be implemented in virtual and blended K12 classrooms, and understanding the benefits of this innovative learning model in the short, but most importantly in the long run.

■

¹ Including Dr. Sax ² Lydia Piniros ³ Teaching and Learning in K-12 Education: Demands, Issues, and Trends ⁴ The i2Flex Classroom Model for Blended and Virtual Learning Environments ⁵ The Changing Classroom: From Theory to Praxis ⁶ Voices from the ACS Athens Trenches: Learning and Teaching in the i2Flex and Virtual Classrooms ⁷ Stories of Innovation and Leadership in K12

Title Of Edition

#Of ACS Athens Authors Appearing In Both Editions¹ #Of External Authors

15

12

13

-

1

#Of Chapters Per Section (1)³

7

10

#Of Chapters Per Section (2)⁴

4

5

#Of Chapters Per Section (3)⁵

13

3

#Of Chapters Per Section (4)⁶

-

9

#Of Chapters Per Section (5)⁷

-

7

#Of Pages

477

710

Indexed In

SCOPUS (!)

?

Time From Start To Finish (Months)

OCT 2014 - JAN 2016

OCT 2019 - JAN 2021

16

16

Pandemic- Sky Falling On Us?

NO

YES

Submitted On Time

YES

YES

#Of ACS Athens Students (Former Or Current)²

ETHOS • FALL 2021

selves as part of something bigger and they see that their learning and work contribute to the whole.

So, what happens when students are given space to publically create? They collaborate, they take risks, they design, they share tasks, they take on leadership, they share their art, and they tell their own stories.

Print Publications (est. 2020) - Course Curriculum Created by Trina Langsenkamp

Academy What Happens When Students Are Given Space To Publish Creatively?

How sharing their stories brings students’ learning to life

by David Nelson, Academy Principal

W

In this course, students become the visionaries, designers, producers and marketers of the Euzone, the Academy Yearbook that captures the spirit and emotion of ACS Athens. Integrating art and technology, Ms. Langsenkamp introduces skills of page design, publishing techniques, copywriting, editing, photography, attention to detail, and teamwork. Students are tasked with producing a creative and innovative publication to capture the memories, events, and life of the entire student body. The 2021 yearbook, entitled “Behind The Mask: Sharing Our Stories”, is an amazing tribute to the work of the students and their teacher, whose skills and care tell a deeper story of learning and resilience.

Media Literacy, Communication, and Production (est.

2020) – Course curriculum by Hercules Lianos In this course, students explore “a constantly changing and increasingly pervasive media landscape”. Mr. Lianos describes the course mission in this way: “It is critical that students venture forth into the world as active, not passive, recipients of information. To be an architect of one’s own learning, one must be able to decipher and assess messages conveyed from a variety of sources. Through understanding the history of media, the role of gatekeepers, analyzing messages from a variety of sources and creating their own productions, students will develop skills of critical judgment of the media.” With access to the advanced facilities of the ACS Athens Suheil Sabbagh Media Studio, students bring their work to life.

hile the cover of this year’s ACS Athens Academy Yearbook showcases the artwork of Emma Bello (Grade 11) to tell a story of life during the pandemic, the pages in between reveal a deeper story of student creativity, design, and learning. Two innovative elective courses were introduced in the Academy this year to guide students with skills and foundational theory that empower them to create memories with the stories of ACS Athens and the times. The teaching philosophies and highly intentional curriculum planning of the ACS Athens Academy Faculty members made both courses possible: Trina Langsenkamp with Print Publications, and Hercules Lianos, with Media Literacy, Communication, and Production.

The results are seen through the ACS Athens Observer, a website created by students and for students as they explore stories of their world and of the ACS Athens community. In the meantime, they bring light to the school’s vision, and to the philosophy of conscious citizenship and to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Explore the students’ articles, podcasts, broadcasts, interviews, artwork, and documentaries as they share their work in news beats, including school news, world news, the cultural corner, science and technology, sports, and much more.

Utilizing a project based learning philosophy combined with design thinking, these faculty members carefully scaffold students’ skills in technology, art, and language, while framing the learning in a theoretical context of media design. Their classes bring differentiation to life and empower students with choice, ownership, and collaborative opportunities – in this way the students see them-

As an instructional leader who believes that curriculum and instruction must invite and challenge students to collaborate and think at the highest levels, including creating, analyzing, and evaluating, I am extremely proud to support innovative course designs such as these.

Instructional Leadership that Brings the American Philosophy of Education to Life

■

67

ACS Athens Academy Yearbook 2021, Behind the Mask

ACS Athens Observer, a website created by students and for students as they explore stories of their world and of the ACS Athens community

68

What Is The Impact Of Media Literacy And Why Is It Significant For Teenagers Of The 21st Century?

by Evelyn Pittas, Academy Vice Principal

T

he ability to recognize several types of media and retrieve the information each type passes on is known as media literacy. Teenagers today receive countless information from different sources, far from traditional media like television, radio, newspapers, and publications that most parents used when they were young. Understanding the purpose of why media was created is the foundation of media literacy.

Teenagers who know the media do not have difficulty understanding similar information because they grasp the universality of the media. Teenagers improve their analytical thinking skills and make intelligent decisions through media literacy courses, which help establish the difference between reality and fantasy. Today, youth effortlessly examine the directions provided to them through the media which makes them more knowledgeable regarding politics and culture, society, etc. Youngsters nowadays understand that media represent the political arena only from one perspective and that there is much more to the real story; thus, believing in anything without knowing the entire story is not a wise choice.

Media literacy supports and encourages young people to ask, assess, learn, and acknowledge their multime-

dia culture. It prepares them to become knowledgeable media users. The media brings the universe into the classroom, reinforcing and adapting general subjects, for example, the Arts, History, English, Science, and Mathematics. It constitutes an excellent bridge for the integration of subjects and multidimensional studies. Media education shapes and travels beyond the existing school curriculum, with an emphasis on student-cantered education. It recognizes a great deal of intelligence, analysis, and discipline, rather than just storing information. According to an article by Geraee, Kaveh, Shojaeizadeh, & Tabatabaee, ‘’Media literacy training increases the individuals’ doubt about the media content. After all, existence of the individuals with high media literacy leads to increase in the media quality because such individuals require more realistic messages of higher quality’’ (2015). The media form a shared context and therefore are a catalyst for knowledge. Media education also inspires youngsters to utilize multimedia devices creatively. This strategy assists learning by doing, and prepares them for the increasing need to use complex forms of communication in the workforce.

In a country that fears that young people are becoming increasingly indifferent to political rule, media literacy enables youngsters to participate in real-world affairs. It encourages them to become potential contributors to active politics and public debate. Media literacy benefits teenagers because it teaches them how the image of the media affects their own perception of diverse communities in every society. In short, media literacy heightens teens’ knowledge of distinction, identity, and diversity, as it contributes to their self-development and social improvement by examining the links within pop culture (such as fashion, films, shows, music, etc.).

Overall, we embed a world full of media, from icons to feature films. By preparing youngsters to question, we advise them to be better learners and more keen to the knowledge of the specific and absolute content they are exposed to. Based on this understanding, teenagers will be able to better connect with information that matches their values and self-awareness, and resist fallacies. In a broader context, media literacy promotes collaborative skills, as it helps courteous communication and improves citizenship skills. Media literacy has a profound impact on teenagers and plays a fundamental part in developing a generation that sustains critical thinking skills!

■

ETHOS • FALL 2021

ETHOS • FALL 2021

Interaction Committee, and Financial Committee, KINONOS allows for students to create an environment where they can improve the world they live in. This happens by promoting awareness about the homeless of Athens through social media (Media Team), collecting goods (Financial Committee), and interacting with people every Thursday night (Interaction Committee).

Thus, by being directly engaged in achieving the service club’s goals, becoming leaders, and transforming their skills into actions, the members of KINONOS are able to initiate a positive impact and as a result to improve the lives of the people they interact with.

How Does KINONOS (ΚΟΙΝΩΝΟΣ) Promote Conscious Citizenship?

by Konstantinos Chasiotis, Academy Student

T

he KINONOS (ΚΟΙΝΩΝΟΣ) service club was founded by Ms. Lydia Pinirou, a respected ACS alum in the Fall of 2017. The service club’s name is derived from the Greek word “κοινωνία” meaning “community,” a word that is rooted within the club’s goals.

KINONOS refers to the collective effort of a group of people that collaborate in order to achieve a particular goal. KINONOS is composed of students of the ACS Athens Academy who strive to further KINONOS’s goal to understand the needs and challenges of the homeless and assist them to integrate into society, all the while maintaining their dignity. KINONOS works with a Greek non-governmental organization called Plysion, where ACS students volunteer to provide essential commodities to the homeless of Athens. Furthemore, students visit downtown Athens every Thursday night, and interact and share stories with the homeless; thus making them feel that they are part of a much greater family and more specifically, part of this community.

Through the work and effort of this student-led service club, ACS Athens students have become aware of the social issues of the world, as they are directly exposed to the harsh reality that is around them. This has created a strong sense of civic responsibility within each member to find a way to serve humanity. This was achieved by the structure of the club, which further allowed students to become conscious citizens. By dividing the service club into three different groups: Media Team,

The actions of KINONOS further contribute to the fulfillment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. More specifically, the service club’s actions and visions connect with the following goals: “no poverty” (Goal 1), “zero hunger” (Goal 2), and “reduced inequalities” (Goal 10). Goals 1 and 2 are addressed by the student’s actions through the food and clothing drives, thus improving food security and the nutrition of the people. Moreover, Goal 10 is addressed by resolving the issues brought forward through the student’s interactions with the homeless. By understanding the homeless’ demands, ACS students plan fundraisers and reach out to companies such as Barilla and Sklavenitis, in an effort to collect the commodities needed the most by the homeless of Athens.

To conclude, having been involved with the club since 9th grade, I feel honored and obliged to continue the KINONOS service club as it has truly been a rewarding experience for me, as well as the rest of the students who are a part of this journey. Through the club, I have become more engaged in understanding and resolving issues in my local city, even if my contribution may be limited relative to the size of the issue. Although these actions may seem small, they certainly play a key role in the fulfillment of larger goals, such as those of the United Nations. One thing is for sure, that in an effort to fulfill these goals, we become more responsible individuals and create a sustainable future, therefore making us conscious citizens.

■

71

72

ty from a variety of professional fields to share personal stories from key moments in their lives through which they learned resilience.

Here is what some of our 2020-21 speakers said during the 2020-21 Resilience Series: A.J. Ginnis, US World Cup Skier, ACS Athens Class of 2012 “No one expected that I would come back and be where I was prior to my injury…So, having to exceed those expectations changes the playing field. I set my goals higher and Dartmouth University gave me the opportunity to achieve them.”

“I am passionate about this sport. I love it. It is what I do.”

Who Might We Look Up To For Inspiration In Times Of Crisis?

ACS Athens Academy Resilience Award and Speaker Series

by David Nelson, Academy Principal and Evelyn Pittas, Academy Vice-Principal

T

hemes bring people together under a common cause and they allow us to discover valuable life lessons from others and from ourselves. This year’s Academy theme of resilience, carried the currency of the times and provided numerous opportunities for all of us in the ACS Athens Academy, including students, teachers, staff, parents, and guardians alike, to reflect on the qualities of life and leadership that lead to success and happiness.

The ACS Athens Academy Resilience Award was presented to students for demonstrating a growth mindset through adaptability, optimism, and the ability to bounce back in the face of the multiple challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Those awarded represent students in our community who support others with a sense of purpose and they address challenges within their own locus of control.

We not only learned about the qualities and impact of resilience and persistence from each other in our classrooms and activities such as Forensics, but also from enlightening guest speakers who joined the entire student body and faculty virtually to share their own resilience stories. We invited ACS Athens Alumni and former facul-

“I have been injured a bunch, and it kind of sucks having to sit out. But, what that has really taught me is the highs can’t be too high and the lows not too low…. I feel like mentally I am at a better place, where I am more free and a lot less judgmental of myself, which has allowed me to perform better than in prior years.”

Dr. Greg Pattakos, Cardiac Surgeon, ACS Athens Class of 1998 “It has been a long road to get here in Athens and to work as a surgeon. It took me 19 years of training in the USA to get here…. I started, like many people who succeed at complicated tasks, but looking at the end point and planning backwards from there.”

“There have been multiple times when my own resilience was tested… don’t lose sight of your ultimate goal… The thought of the end goal that makes you able to endure all the struggles that you need to endure. There were times along the way that I wanted to quit… but it is the vision of who I wanted to be that kept me motivated.”

“My definition of resilience is someone who can handle an insult, attack, or problem and keep on going. It is having the elasticity and ability to bounce back. The most important thing is to admit that none of us is perfect. The people who succeed have failure after failure, but keep going to work every day…work hard and keep trying to do better.”

Dr. Jeffrey Levett, International Gusi Peace Prize recipient in 2019, former Faculty member of ACS Athens “I learned from my great-grandmother when I was young that, ‘no matter where you go, no matter who you meet, no matter what color, not matter what creed, no matter what age, you can always learn something….

It is the most important thing that we have.’”

“In moments of perceived failure, it is easy to believe it’s too late, that we’ve lost our chance at a life of purpose and worth. The space landing vehicle Perseverance recently touched down late on Mars looking for the existence of life... Perseverance, what a great name. I Have a Dream that helps me through: The destination, makes it worth the while, pushing through the darkness, still another mile. It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive!”

ETHOS • FALL 2021

Ariel White, Attorney at Law, Partner of the M&A Corporate Finance Team in London, ACS Athens Class of 2000 “What resilience means to me…for me, it means the ability and courage to pivot; it means not allowing challenges to knock you down… and having that inner strength, conviction and mindset to actually welcome challenges and use them to show you the right path.”

“My resilience during my career journey has been critical to helping me get to where I am today. I am particularly proud of being the first black female partner in the London office and one of only 15 black female partners in all of the UK.” “I never, never let go of my dream to become a partner and when curve balls came my way, I learned how to pivot… My parents instilled resilience in me. I am the daughter of a Greek immigrant to the U.S. and an African American father from the deep South in the United States… both became the first of their family to finish school, driven by an acute desire to better themselves, to elevate themselves out of poverty, and to be brave.

They have passed on to me the drive, and expectation, to appreciate the sacrifices of those who came before me and to honor them by bettering myself. That was lesson number one for me. To know my history and honor those before… we all stand on the shoulders of others… which, gives me enormous strength and inner strength…. I knew from my parents that education was the pathway, for which I worked extremely hard to be well-rounded… I was fortunate to have at ACS Athens.”

“The biggest lesson for me is to just not give up when things get tough and to reframe things when we make mistakes. That’s what I credit to being where I am: I have worked hard to master my craft. I have thought hard about my why. I am living in alignment with my passions and my drive. I am staying true to myself … doing things in my own way with authenticity… that’s the formula for me to build resilience.”

A.J. Ginnis, US World Cup Skier, Class of 2012

Dr. Greg Pattakos, Cardiac Surgeon, Class of 1998

Resilience Award, 2020

“My ‘handicaps’ became my superpowers!”

■

Resilience Award Recipients

ETHOS • FALL 2021

our students with the knowledge, skills, and mindset required to thrive in this new world. More specifically, we are preparing an Artificial Intelligence framework that would guide the meaningful integration of AI into the ACS Athens curriculum. The goal of this integration is for our students to explore AI holistically and become literate in it, so as to eventually utilize AI as conscious citizens. Therefore, a team of faculty and staff, along with the support of administration, has been working on the ACS Athens AI framework, using four preliminary AI curriculum themes: life & intelligence, learning, perception & action, and AI impact.

Why Adopt A K-12 Artificial Intelligence Framework?

by Dr. Antonios Karampelas, Academy Faculty

E

ngaged in a never-ending journey of growth, humans continue devising ways to enhance their physical and mental power. Technological advancements help to serve this purpose, with some of them being more impactful than others. For example, the utilization of electricity and computers have revolutionized industrial production and transformed societies. Technological breakthroughs both increase the length and improve the quality of life of the average human, while at the same time highlight already existing inequalities and unfairness. We are currently experiencing a period of such major technological breakthroughs such as; nanotechnology, biotechnology, the Internet of Things and, most importantly, Artificial Intelligence (AI) – human-like intelligence demonstrated by machines. AI machines learn from data, just like humans learn from experience, to problem-solve in face of uncertainty. More specifically, humans develop computer systems that can complete tasks without being explicitly programmed to. Artificial Intelligence is currently a major component of the operation of giant enterprises and is included in numerous applications people use daily, from social media to medical diagnosis. As AI disrupts societies’ novel ways of solving global issues, risks and ethical dilemmas arise that need to be addressed.

For example, a paramount question is, ‘Are K-12 educational systems around the world preparing students to understand this new societal landscape and thrive within it?’ The short answer is no. There is currently a huge gap between supply (e.g. K-12 AI-related offerings) and demand (AI-related teaching and learning needs). We at ACS Athens, strive to fill this gap, in an effort to equip

It is to be noted, that the AI framework is not meant to be a computer science framework. Rather, it stems from technology, science, engineering, and mathematics, and then eventually will involve all disciplines and grade levels holistically, which is quite similar to how AI impacts all aspects of peoples’ lives. AI does not need to appear as a separate topic in every class, instead, AI could be infused into the curriculum for the students to engage with learning experiences that would allow them to draw interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary connections with an AI-powered world in an age level-appropriate way. For example, students would need to explore human senses and contrast those to other animals to better understand sensors, actuators, and the Internet of Things. Furthermore, students need to conceptually understand the use of algorithms machines to learn from data by first exploring how humans learn. They also need to appreciate the human impact on nature and the societal impact of technology to clarify the societal impact of AI. Lastly, it is imperative that students learm to explore human emotions and define human intelligence to realize and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of artificial intelligence.

As the ACS Athens Artificial Intelligence framework unfolds and the global discussion about AI teaching and learning continues, our students will be provided with an increasing number of opportunities to better prepare for a challenging and exciting future of possibilities.

Note: The Artificial Intelligence Framework task force consists of Dr. Antonios Karampelas, Dr. Liana Tsigaridi, Ms. Zoe Karatza, Ms. Tabitha Newton, Ms. Victoria Poulou, Mr. Christos Pakos, Mr. Spyros Arsenikos, and Mr. Andreas Nikolopoulos, supported by the Dean of the Institute and the Dean of Academics.

■

75

76

shown mostly through appropriation. He wrote “I chose to express my concerns and problems with today’s world. Since appropriation inevitably compares the time period of the appropriation with the time period of the original piece. However comparing time periods is not exactly my main purpose, but a hint of contrast.”

Janine Ginena’s work related to her own personal journey. Part of her curatorial rationale explains: “The exhibition ends with the opening blossom of Re-birth, where the yellow hues indicate to the viewer how I have opened up in the past two years, by accepting my identity. The viewer reaches the end, having gone through the journey of discovering what constitutes my own identity: the symbols used on maps, the charting of my progression through travelling and the fashion garments that represent my state of being. The colorful culmination of my exhibition communicates a sense of hope and optimism.”

How Inquiry, Exploration, And Reflection Are Mirrored In The Differentiated Approaches Of Our IB Visual Arts 2021 Students’ Exhibitions?

by Sophia Stella Soseilos, Academy Faculty

T

he Exhibition is one of the IB Visual Arts components and is an important compartment since it unfolds the major concerns and preoccupations of the students, while mirrors their interests in differentiated techniques and media. This is achieved with intense inquiry and depth of thoughts as they managed to comply with the IB Visual Arts rubrics. Their coherent body of work “visually elaborate ideas, themes or concepts to a point of effective realization and demonstrate the subtle use of complex imagery, signs or symbols that result in effective communication of stated artistic intentions” (IB Visual Arts Rubric). In addition they have managed to “demonstrate effective application and manipulation of media and materials to reach an assured level of technical competence in the chosen forms” (IB Visual Arts Rubric) It is noteworthy that each one of our young artists showcased their own distinctive identity: Alexandros Markidis social commentary against technology, pollution and the lack of pure love values was

Michaela Vonatsou explored more conceptual methods in relation to identity and memory on to an exploration of one’s self. In her Curatorial Rationale she mentions: “I look into memory, the passing of time and its influence on us. In an era bombarded by images, I work with them, exploring the portrayal of different pivotal moments in our lives through photographs that construct and influence our present memory of those moments. Memories of our family are often the first to shape our identity and perception of self. Thus through my artworks I want to make the audience reflect their own memories and provoke a sense of the past in relation to their present identity.”

Due to covid-19 precautious measures the 2021 IB Visual Arts exhibition was not exhibited in the school’s theatre lobby. Artworks were set and photographed to be sent to the examiners together with their curatorial rationale. We are so proud of the creativity and skills that students have demonstrated throughout the virtual and face-to-face learning experience to overcome the difficulties and produce such high quality work. Their open mildness, inquiry mind and reflective process were communicated effectively through the excellent final outcome.

■

ETHOS • FALL 2021

Exhibition of Alexandro Markidis

Exhibition of Janine Ginena

Exhibition of Michaela Vonatsou

ETHOS • FALL 2021

What social agents is this authority dependent upon?

What is my role in the oppression I suffer, I cause or I witness?

Students replay scenes from their own lives in this “life laboratory”, adopt different perspectives and test out different behaviors. Every “experiment” allows students to gain different understandings of themselves, of their moral values and their unique position in the world as responsible citizens.

Why Is The Academy Drama Class The Perfect Place To Shape Conscious Citizens?

by Sofia Thanopoulou, Academy Faculty

W

e were in the middle of the Applied Theater unit with the Academy Drama elective, when we were forced into the second lockdown. Applied theater¹, based on the Theater of the Oppressed²

by A. Boal, explores the relationship between the individual and the world. By reenacting real life situations students identify the external forces that pervade their lives and observe the ways they interact with others.

Through improvisation, they physically step in the place of an oppressor or a victim and try to resolve real-life scenarios. Our work relies on the physical and emotional trust created within the ensemble, the sense of a shared space, physical proximity, eye contact and much more.

Year after year, the same and more questions arise: How can you stop oppression when you are weak by definition?

What is the responsibility of being in a position of authority?

When I found myself in front of the screen this winter, I couldn’t help but wonder how I could possibly teach my subject virtually. The elements of human interaction my very teaching toolbox - were now lying scattered on a screen: fragmented bodies, randomized compositions of two-dimensional tiles, audio delays and mediation tools, no sitting in a circle, not even eye contact. Clearly, this was not the classroom I knew of, and, having to work through my own resistances, I soon realized that my online class would look nothing like my physical one.

I had to step back and ask myself two questions: What are the elements of my curriculum I absolutely had to address in the virtual version, and how... and what would I put in the place of the elements that I could not possibly address online?

If anything, I thought, I want all my students to become conscious social beings, with a heightened awareness of their identity and their position in the world. Besides, I kept saying to my students, ‘probably not one of you will become an actor; but every single one of you will want to become a better human being’. With that in mind, and on a clean slate, the Identity Unit was born.

My first thought was, how can I turn the premise of isolation on its head and to their advantage? The answer popped up by itself: let’s get to “know thyself”, since you will be spending some time with yourselves.

The first series of activities aimed at synthesizing a Personal Identity. Students were probed to think of their status of influence in their home, class, or friends group; their likes and dislikes; their core values and beliefs.

Then they were asked to reflect: How much of this can I answer with certainty?

What does it mean to feel undecided?

Character building started to emerge. But this would mean nothing without other people, so a round of peer interactions began: Am I perceived the same way I intend to project myself?

If not, what gets in the way?

¹Taylor, Philip. Applied Theatre: Creating Transformative Encounters in the Community. Heinemann Drama, 2003 ²Boal, Augusto. Theatre of the Oppressed. Pluto Press, 2008.

79

The struggle to construct identity started emerging in student responses: “I tend to nitpick about things that others hardly notice”; “I was never aware of how others see me”; “everyone is wrapped up in their own insecurities”.

I was very pleasantly surprised by how my online class turned out. Through completely different means, the same learning outcomes were achieved: moral education of the whole child, social emotional growth, a heightened awareness of thy Self and his/her position in a world that really needs Conscious Citizens.

I began to feel a reflective ability had been established and they were now ready to construct their Social Identities³: What groups of people do I share my values and beliefs with?

What privilege or oppression do I receive because of my socio-economic status, sexual orientation or ethnicity?

Which of these identities have the strongest effect on how I perceive myself, or on how I want others to perceive me?

Another round of sharing responses yielded new results as students started reaching new conclusions about themselves: “I had more in common with certain people than I thought I did”.

“I am undecided about so many things, I have some work to do”; “I realized I take pride in my beliefs”; “I feel so fortunate for where I was born”.

Discussing and analyzing these results felt like my old class: everyone was engaged, this new syllabus - “myself” - was new, undiscovered and exciting. The last step almost created itself: Who do I want to be? The Role Models activity was something I had personally experienced⁴ in the past.

Which three people do you respect and admire? What do you respect and admire in them? Which of these values do you have in common and what stands in your way of becoming like them?

By identifying their role models, students accidentally set the bar for themselves as social and moral beings.

They singled out features like humility, kindness, service, hard work and resilience. They understood where their own character converged with these values and most importantly the distance they needed to cover to be more like the person they wanted to be.

³Adapted for use by the Program on Intergroup Relations and the Spectrum Center, University of Michigan. Resource hosted by LSA Inclusive Teaching Initiative, University of Michigan (http://sites.lsa.umich.edu/inclusive-teaching/). ⁴Professional Development workshop at ACS Athens, 2017

■

80

state. The individual was expected to recognize his place in a shared humanity with individual responsibilities, democratic ideas, regard for beauty and respect for human dignity--- all of these make up the classical value of arête. The arête of an individual was to successfully participate in all aspects of the society.

Philosophers like Aristotle did not approve of specialization, and Plato recommended a liberal arts basis for good education.

This may seem out of date in today’s world, but many philosophers and educators agree that this kind of education makes people better thinkers and better citizens who understand the importance of our common humanity and the value of human diversity. Regardless of the career path a student may choose to follow, there is still a compelling need for education in the humanities in democratic societies.

What Makes Us Human?

by Kathy Jasonides and Amalia Zavacopoulou, Academy Faculty

“W

hat Makes Us Human?” This is a complex philosophical question that humans throughout history have tried to answer through a variety of perspectives, including those of the natural sciences, the social sciences and theology. The variety of perspectives makes this a somewhat controversial philosophical question, but perhaps there is a simpler way for an individual human to understand this question.

The ancient Greek philosophers focused on the individual’s role as a human being. They defined this role as excellence, arête, which means the act of living up to one’s full potential and being the best human you can be. When Socrates encouraged his students to “Know Thyself ” he was advising them to strive for arête by understanding themselves, their potential, and what they needed to do better for themselves and for society “What Makes Us Human?” was the first essential question that was explored when the ACS Humanities course began in 1972. It continues to be the question that leads the Humanities course curriculum today.

From the very beginning, the Humanities course has focused on the Humanist values of Classical Greece, and their influence on historic eras of Western Civilization, such as the Renaissance and The Enlightenment.

To illustrate, the humanist values of Classical Greece relate to the role of arête in the Athenian polis, or city-

The goal of the ACS Humanities course is to keep these core values alive, while at the same time adapting our teaching to the changing times and needs of our students. Due to the fact that the Humanities course unites a variety of disciplines (history, literature, art and architecture, music and philosophy) it helps students understand human existence in all its diversity.

This is also an important exercise in critical thinking that can prepare students to rationally interpret the events and issues they are witnessing in today’s world in order to better understand them, and take action as conscious citizens.

This type of humanistic education seems particularly important at this time, as it is so apparent that we need to help our students become conscious global citizens. Martha Nussbaum, a reknowned American philosopher, wrote a book in which she developed her argument for a humanistic education. She ended the last chapter with a profound warning that we need to insist on the crucial importance of the humanities and the arts because they “make a world that is worth living in, people who are able to see other human beings as full people, with thoughts and feelings of their own that deserve respect and empathy, and nations that are able to overcome fear and suspicion in favor of sympathetic and reasoned debate” (Nussbaum, 2010, p. 143).

Ultimately, you cannot fully answer the question “What Makes us Human?” without engaging in the classical values of a humanistic, liberal arts education, which is exactly what we are dedicated to offering our students through the Humanities course at ACS Athens.

■ Nussbaum, M. (2010) Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs The Humanities. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press.

ETHOS • FALL 2021

Humanities students viewing the entrance of the Monastery Church

Humanities class at Kaisariani

ETHOS • FALL 2021

use knowledge to reflect on their own values and beliefs.

When engaging with topics such as immigration, human rights, and economic inequality, students are forced out of their ideological comfort zones and are one step closer to becoming conscious global citizens.

Adding to the development of productive dialogue, Group Discussion helps students develop elaborate discussion skills, which are indispensable for identifying problems and finding solutions to challenges in the world today. Each year’s topic is comprehensively researched and analyzed in different contexts before being brought to a round table for discussion. With this year’s topic being Artificial Intelligence it didn’t come as a surprise that the ACS Athens GD team, led by Ms. Stavi Dimas, was recognized in its entirety at the Finals. Diversity of opinion, respect of the other discussants and knowledgeable contribution are some of GD’s core values.

Why Forensics?

by Sofia Thanopoulou and Amalia Zavacopoulou, Academy Faculty

“F

orensics saved my life in lockdown”. This could be the title of a 70’s disco song, but it is actually a phrase uttered by more than one student this spring. Yet, it is not just this year that we felt the power of Forensics. Every year, students come back from the Panhellenic Forensics Tournament with amazing experiences, having been exposed to intense argumentation, creative interpretations of literature, presentation of original ideas, and impressive speaking and discussing skills. But what is Forensics and why is it a “lifesaver”?

The Panhellenic Forensics Association was founded in the early 1970’s and ACS Athens was one of its early members.

Since then the PFA Tournament has grown to be a prestigious national competition that brings together over 500 students and coaches from 19 schools from all over Greece.

It is six events, permeated by the principles of Logos, Ethos and Pathos, address original, creative, ethical and critical thinking that is communicated through oral language.

Over the last 10 years that we have led the ACS Athens Academy team, we have found the perfect match for our school’s core values and philosophy: independent inquiry, pursuit of knowledge, fair play, open mindedness and ethical involvement with global issues; curiosity, creativity and creative expression; effective communication, ownership and personal investment. Every single attribute of our graduates’ profile is addressed and developed through this competition.

Debate motions such as “This House Regrets the rise of pop feminism” or “This House Would compel major polluters to open their borders to environmental refugees” push debaters to the edge of their reasoning. As they have to defend whichever side they are assigned, they argue, reason, justify and are able to see multiple perspectives on issues. Students

In Original Oratory the students are invited to identify a topic of significance they feel passionate about, research it in depth, formulate an opinion and write a persuasive speech to deliver orally. From matters of equality and animal rights, to accounts of personal dilemmas over ethical issues, to profound philosophical inquiries, students involved with Oratory develop their unique voice and sense of identity, consolidate their moral stance and reflect on their own values and beliefs.

The incredible skills developed through Impromptu Speaking are considered by many as the most challenging of the contest: to be able to conceive, construct and deliver a coherent and original speech on a given prompt in under one minute would be a daunting task for most. And yet, ACS Impromptu speakers, with iron nerves and immense power of concentration, year after year, are given topics such as “time”, “a human is immortal when….” or “action is the key to success” and are able to deliver interesting speeches sometimes witty and philosophical, sometimes funny and reflective, but always inspirational and powerful.

Duet Acting and Oral Interpretation of Literature celebrate creative expression and appreciation of language. Oftentimes students engage in creative writing of their own comedic or dramatic scenes and other times they select to engage with classical or modern texts of world literature.

Through strenuous, disciplined practice they develop their vocal and physical expressive means, they come in close contact with the intricacies of language and they make meaning out of it, communicate and evoke emotion and activate empathy in themselves and their audience.

So, why Forensics? We could continue in this vein for several pages but the answer can be summarized as follows: Forensics is athleticism of the mind; an opportunity to develop skills that are transferable to all aspects of life and being; to get exposed to discourse of the highest level; to become part of an inclusive and caring student community; and to share the gift of human communication. We are looking forward to leading a Forensics programme at ACS Athens that will grow and develop, “saving the life” of many students in the future.

■

83

M. Bitsikas & T. Kalai in Duet Acting Finals, PFAT 2019, Mandoulides Schools, Thessaloniki

ACS Athens team with 3rd place Cup and distinctions, PFAT 2019

84

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Where To Next?

Graduating Class Of 2021 College Acceptances/ Offers

by Artemis Repouli, Registrar Grades 6-12

I

t has been an unusual academic year for the Class of 2021; students not only had to deal with the anxiety that comes with the college applications but also with the challenges of virtual learning, social distancing and other restrictions because of the lockdown.

The Class of 2021 had to practice skills that would help them achieve their goals despite the challenges they had to face.

One of the main traits our Seniors have shown is resilience.

What is impressive is the amount of persistence and dedication they have shown in order to achieve their final goal.

Students managed not only to adapt but also grow from the challenges they have faced.

Despite all difficulties, the Class of 2021 submitted applications to a variety of colleges and universities, achieving impressive results. Our 80 Seniors have received 240 acceptances from 138 Universities in 9 different countries. They have received merit and athletic scholarship offers in the amount of over $900,000. We are very proud of our students for their hard work and achievements! Below you can find the full list of College Acceptances.

■

ADELPHI UNIVERSITY ARCADIA UNIVERSITY BABSON COLLEGE BENTLEY UNIVERSITY BOSTON UNIVERSITY BROWN UNIVERSITY CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY DARTMOUTH COLLEGE DAVIDSON COLLEGE DREXEL UNIVERSITY FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY INDIANA UNIVERSITY BLOOMINGTON JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY KEAN UNIVERSITY KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY LIU POST MASSACHUSETTS COLLEGE OF PHARMACY AND HEALTH SCIENCES MIAMI UNIVERSITY MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY PURDUE UNIVERSITY ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY ROWAN UNIVERSITY RUTGERS UNIVERSITY-NEW BRUNSWICK RUTGERS UNIVERSITY-NEWARK SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN SETON HALL UNIVERSITY STANFORD UNIVERSITY STOCKTON UNIVERSITY SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY TEMPLE UNIVERSITY TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES (UCLA) UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS BOSTON UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA WILMINGTON UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN—MADISON WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY WIDENER UNIVERSITY

UNITED KINGDOM ABERTAY UNIVERSITY ABERYSTWYTH UNIVERSITY ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY ASTON UNIVERSITY BIRMINGHAM BATH SPA UNIVERSITY

ETHOS • FALL 2021

BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY BOURNEMOUTH UNIVERSITY BRUNEL UNIVERSITY LONDON CARDIFF UNIVERSITY CITY, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON DURHAM UNIVERSITY EDINBURGH NAPIER UNIVERSITY GOLDSMITHS, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON HULT INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SCHOOL IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON KINGS COLLEGE LONDON KINGSTON UNIVERSITY LEITHS SCHOOL OF FOOD AND WINE LONDON SOUTH BANK UNIVERSITY LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY LSE (LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS) MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON RAVENSBOURNE UNIVERSITY LONDON REGENT’S UNIVERSITY LONDON ROYAL HOLLOWAY, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON ST GEORGE’S, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY UCL (UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON) ULSTER UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY FOR THE CREATIVE ARTS UNIVERSITY OF BATH UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM UNIVERSITY OF BOLTON UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL UNIVERSITY OF CHICHESTER UNIVERSITY OF DUNDEE UNIVERSITY OF EAST LONDON UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX UNIVERSITY OF EXETER UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH UNIVERSITY OF KENT UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY OF NORTHAMPTON UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH UNIVERSITY OF READING

UNIVERSITY OF ROEHAMPTON UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON UNIVERSITY OF ST.ANDREWS UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING UNIVERSITY OF SURREY UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX

OTHER COUNTRIES AMERICAN COLLEGE OF GREECE BOCCONI UNIVERSITY/ITALY CONSERVATORIUM VAN AMSTERDAM /NETHERLANDS CULINARY INSTITUTE OF BARCELONA (CIB)/SPAIN DELFT UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY/ NETHERLANDS EINDHOVEN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY/ NETHERLANDS ERASMUS UNIVERSITY ROTTERDAM/ NETHERLANDS HANZE UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES /NETHERLANDS IE UNIVERSITY/SPAIN IMI INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE/ SWITZERLAND JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY/ITALY LEIDEN UNIVERSITY/NETHERLANDS MAASTRICHT UNIVERSITY/NETHERLANDS MCGILL UNIVERSITY/CANADA MCMASTER UNIVERSITY/CANADA POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF TURIN/ITALY PRINCE CLAUS CONSERVATOIRE/NETHERLANDS RADBOUD UNIVERSITY/NETHERLANDS SAE INSTITUTE AMSTERDAM/NETHERLANDS SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY/CANADA ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY, MADRID/SPAIN THE HAGUE UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES/ NETHERLANDS TILBURG UNIVERSITY/NETHERLANDS UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM/NETHERLANDS UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA/CANADA UNIVERSITY OF GRONINGEN/NETHERLANDS UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF NICOSIA/CYPRUS UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO/CANADA UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE/NETHERLANDS UNSW BUSINESS SCHOOL/AUSTRALIA UTRECHT UNIVERSITY/NETHERLANDS VESALIUS COLLEGE/BELGIUM VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT AMSTERDAM/NETHERLANDS WESTERN UNIVERSITY/CANADA

ETHOS • FALL 2021

Commencement Keynote Speaker Sebastien Bellin addressed the Class of 2021 with a powerful message.

‘It is the mindset that makes a difference in life. Life will throw some challenges at you. Life will not be easy all of the time. Life will give you all the excuses you need to be a victim, but you can cultivate a mindset that makes you a survivor. A survivor is someone who experiences a challenge and overcomes it. Overcoming those challenges are the greatest lessons you will learn in life.’

What Mindset Will You Choose to Make a Difference in Your Life?

by Annie Angelidou, Administrative Assistant to the Deans of Academics and the Institute and Kostantinos Kouvopoulos, Assistant Director of Communications

ACS

Athens celebrated the Class of 2021 during the Academy Commencement Ceremony on Wednesday, June 17. Although the pandemic restrictions did not allow for guests at the event, all involved worked diligently to provide a memorable on-campus commencement for the graduates along with a live streaming of the event on the ACS Athens YouTube channel with over 1.000 views during its live broadcast.

There is no question that the 2020/2021 academic school year was a year like no other. Apart from the normal effort, and stress involved in the final year of high school, our graduates had to face unprecedented hardships, fears, and challenges like none before them. And they came through with flying colors: 2020-2021 Academic Year: College / University placement: 98% Average IB Diploma score: 38 Highest IB Diploma score: 45 100% of the students scored above 30 47% of the students scored 40 and above

And Sebastien Bellin knows this very well from experience. March 22, 2016 a terrorist bombing attack at the International Airport of Belgium killed 32 and left 340 people injured. Sebastien was one of those survivors, but his hip and both of his legs suffered extensive damage. Today his right femur and left tibia are replaced by metal pins. He can no longer feel his left leg. But did he give up? Did he allow himself to become a victim? Absolutely not. Instead, he offers valuable advice to thousands and inspires them to choose the right mindset – the mindset to not only survive, but to thrive.

Mr. Bellin added, “I’ve come up with four themes, pieces of advice, that help me cultivate the feeling of survivor and overcome everyday challenges: Acknowledge fear as an illusion, surround yourself with a solid Team with no ego, always stay focused and don’t let obstacles get in the way of your opportunities, and always keep Quality over Quantity: It’s hard to have a mindset of growth when you are carrying too much! ACS Athens graduates, always go for the quality in your life!”

Special Guest Speaker U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt congratulated the graduates on reaching this important milestone in their lives, hoping that the challenges of the past year and a half did not diminish the sense of accomplishment they feel today.

“The pandemic has forced your generation to learn difficult life lessons, and I think you should be very proud of your resilience in the face of this unprecedented challenge and all that you have achieved,” he added.

Ambassador Pyatt also commented on the shared spirit of innovation between the USA and Greece: “This innovative spirit will be more important than ever as your generation steps up to tackle the challenges we face today. You’ll be entering a world that is forever changed, and the deep inequalities that the pandemic has exposed will require your attention and ingenuity. ACS Athens has given you exactly the skills you need for living in an interconnected world, and we will count on your fresh, global perspectives as we work together to build a better future. The world will advance on the strength of your vision and creativity as well as your commitment to our democratic values”!

On behalf of the Board of Trustees of ACS Athens, Mr. Pascal Apostolides congratulated the graduates and wished they all cherish the memories and learnings that took place within ACS Athens: “This is the beginning of a new adventure - you will go out to this

87

world to continue to be architects of your own learning, preparing to become tomorrow’s leaders to transform the world. I encourage you to believe and continue dreaming of making a difference in the world by not giving up in front of obstacles that most certainly you will face in your lives”!

From the Valedictorian address: “...as I will be addressing you today, I will be speaking from the heart, which ACS has taught all of us to do all these years aiming to let us express our individuality while inspiring us to contribute to the pursuit of the greater. We’re all able [00:01:00] to speak from the heart, because this is what our teachers do on a daily basis, whether in the classroom or through BBB, even with a poor connection and some ringing microphones in the background... ...Still these hardships have made us confident in our individuality, preparing us to uniquely face, whatever challenges may come our way in the uncertain future. I cannot generalize the paths. We will all take, um, exiting the school gates or about the great successes we will all celebrate in the future...”

From the Salutatorian address: “... it would seem that in spite of these hardships we encountered and some of which we continue to endure, we still managed to make it here, decorated with the prestigious awards and well-deserved accomplishments. So as to, as we celebrate this day, please allow me to give a big

congratulations to everyone for making it here as for, as what could only be perceived as a Testament to our classes, resilience and ACS has commitment to...”

ACS Athens President, Dr. Peggy Pelonis, welcomed everyone and expressed her joy in celebrating with the students after a prolonged lockdown for most of the year: “This past year and a half, the world came to a sudden stop with the COVID19 pandemic and with it came a myriad of challenges: learning online, social media frenzy, longing to connect face to face, to play, to just being together. You, young graduates, were called on to be resilient, to pivot to move in different directions, as we all were, and often these directions had no guarantee of positive outcomes”.

She added, “Class of 2021, your role models are multiple. Your journey has been disrupted and has evolved in a new way.

You have more resources and more technology tools than any other generation, but now you also have the option to discover new skills, new ways of carving your path in life. You know what it means to lose your freedom because of something unpredictable and unmanageable. The greatest risk you are taking is inventing and continuously reinventing your life, and that is what makes you architects of your own learning, your own life, positioned to transform the world.”

■

When your destination is health, IASO paves the way.

IASO is standing by your side, to guide and protect you.

Well-rounded, modern healthcare services. Experienced medical and nursing staf f, and advanced technology.

By your side for anything you may need.